Love Lies Bleeding
by brenda-d
Summary: Four pretty dolls, one in each room. Kidnapped by Charles: the infamous A, his nom de plume. Cruel games will they play all so Charles can get his way. Will the dolls escape and remove the mask? Or between plastic walls will they forever be trapped?
1. Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

The game was just starting and, like dolls on a shelf, Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily were in their rooms, unmoving. The familiar whereabouts were of no comfort. No matter how much it looked like home, it was a pantomime. The concrete wall behind the windows taunted them constantly.

Aria closed her eyes for a second and breathed out. She had had trouble sleeping for nights on end. After tossing around for hours, she would resign to her darkest thoughts. It was exhausting to give that little voice in her head center stage.

"Please remain calm," a voice on the speaker said.

This made Aria quickly sit up straight.

"Please remain calm," the voice repeated.

She jumped to her feet, anticipating something but nothing came. The minutes ticked and Aria sat back down. Maybe it was just another way Charles was having fun: making them think something would happen when it clearly was not going to. A sickly sweet smell invaded her nostrils as she grabbed on to the edge of the bed and laid back.

She breathed out, filling her lungs with air but not feeling like her head was any clearer. Bunching up the fabric of the duvet in her fist, she realized it felt just like the one in her house. The entire bedroom as an exact replica, without a single flaw. There has to be one, she thought as she desperately scanned the floor, the walls, the furniture to find some hint. It was as if she could find that one revealing detail then she could convince herself that she was really back home, just about to go to bed, worried about a mid-term and nothing else.

What if the dollhouse was only in her head? What if she was back home and had convinced herself that A had locked her in a bedroom that looked exactly like hers? How could a person that wasn't her know about the mark she had made the one time she was young and dumb enough to try smoking a cigarette? It had to be a dream or a hallucination...

...There was nothing but darkness and a sharp pain at her temples. As Aria regained consciousness, she realized she was in a different room. She lifted her head off the table quickly, which only made the pain in her head worse. Looking around, all she could see were white walls but no door. Turning her head, she caught sight of pink hair in the corner of her eye. She reached out a hand to feel the strand.

Only once the shock disappeared did Aria notice the four monitors before her with a button in front of each. They had displayed nothing but static until that moment. The first screen came alive with security camera footage, as if they had been waiting for her.

"Why are you showing me this?" she managed to cry out.

She was not granted a verbal response. However, to Aria's horror, she soon discovered why she was there. The door that the first camera was focused on opened and she could see Ezra entering his apartment, leaving his jacket on the couch as he switched on the television.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Aria screamed, frightened and unable to peel her eyes away from the image.

The second screen switched from static to the DiLaurentis household where Jason sat at his desk, typing into a laptop. Before Aria could react, the third showed Noel rummaging through a refrigerator in what she presumed to be his kitchen. Finally, the last one turned on to show Sean Ackard deep in thought with an array of textbooks scattered around a desk.

Aria didn't understand what was going on. Was she supposed to be frightened by the fact that A could spy on everyone she knew? The thought was definitely daunting but she had known that for a long time.

"Once upon a time, in the perfect little town of Rosewood, four friends resided," a cheery, artificial voice began narrating over the speakers, "They were all cursed by their friendship with the queen bee but none wished to fight it. One fateful night, the leader strayed far from her nest and it caused a series of fatal events. The other bees were not still; they were not asleep. They were up to mischief of their own and in lies, neck deep. Aria Montgomery, the girl with pink hair, left the barn and wandered off somewhere. She got cozy with a Rosewood boy under September skies. Remember the ending or someone dies."

Aria was covered in cold sweat as she observed the buttons lighting up in front of her. She knew she had to choose one but she couldn't remember anything from that night. There was no doubt in her mind that Charles was capable of killing them, even his own brother. She didn't want another death to be her fault. There was already enough blood on her hands. Her hands started shaking uncontrollably. She could have been with any of them that night, except maybe Ezra. Unless she was so drugged that she didn't remember ever meeting him. But that was not possible. Just thinking about it made her head spin.

"Remember the ending or someone dies," the speaker repeated impatiently, beginning a countdown from twenty.

"I don't know!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face, but the seconds kept ticking away.

Aria closed her eyes, trying to force herself to think but nothing came to her.

"Five, four, three..."

Aria panicked as the countdown was nearing its end and closed her eyes, pressing the fourth button. She slowly opened them as silence filled the room. After hearing zero, she had been expecting something dramatic and horrific.

The first three screens were now filled with static again and all that remained was Sean studying in his house. All of a sudden, Sean's body fell limply atop his notes. Covering her mouth with her hand, Aria pushed her face closer to the screen. Only when she saw the dark fluid spreading over his papers did she realize he was dead.

Through her tears, Aria saw the other monitors turn back on.

"Remember the ending or someone dies."


	2. Sing a Song of Sixpence

Aria let out a cry in anguish. She punched the table in frustration and stood up, decided on finding a way out. The countdown began again and she looked back at the screens. They were doing such ordinary things, completely unsuspecting. None of them deserved to die, but if she didn't press any button, Charles would and he knew what would hurt her the most.

Unable to remember any of the events, Aria placed her hands above the button corresponding to Jason's screen. It could make sense. He lived right next door and she could have met up with him by coincidence. She didn't remember ever flirting with him, but she didn't remember most of what happened that night. Yes, it could be Jason. It made sense.

Without a second thought, Aria pressed it and shut her eyes, hoping that she had chosen correctly. A small part of her had chosen him to spite Charles, but that was something she would never admit to. It was too heinous.

She didn't want to see him die if she was wrong. They had never been very close but that didn't mean his death wouldn't affect her, especially since he was Ali's brother.

"Congratulations! You win!" the creepy voice exclaimed, followed by circus music.

Aria opened her eyes slowly, wiping the tears that continued to fall and letting out a sigh of relief. At the very least she had managed to save Jason, Noel and Ezra, but she could never take back her mistake.

* * *

Emily breathed in and out. She was clearly in another room but she couldn't recall going there. The bright light shining on her face completely blinded her. All she could make out was a red flashing light in front of her belonging to an electronic device. She was clearly supposed to be doing something but what it remained a mystery.

Trying to move was exhausting. She knew that there was no way that she could muster up the energy to break away from the cable ties holding her legs tightly against the chair. The plastic was cutting into her legs but she knew there were worse things to fear.

"Come on, Emily."

Startled, she heard a familiar male voice coming from behind her. As she turned to face him, she realized there was no one there. The same line was repeated again, this time from the opposite side of the room. Emily couldn't see who was in the shadows but was as scared as ever.

The third time the same phrase was repeated she understood that it was a recording being played through several speakers placed all around her. It only made it a little less frightening. Emily groaned, her headache getting worse. The noise was penetrating her skull and echoing over and over inside her head.

"You know what I want," the same voice repeated.

Emily had no idea what it meant. She literally had nothing to give. She stared down at her clothing, which had been left for her in a neat stack when she was asleep. The zip up sweater and sporty leggings had confused her at first but she figured that Charles had chosen clothes based on his perception of her. She was definitely past the sportswear phase of her life, but he didn't seem to know.

"You know what I want," the recording began playing on a loop.

The words replayed over and and over, drilling themselves into her head. The words started sounding strange after a while and the noise was becoming too much. She started feeling nauseous, her body covered in sweat.

"I don't!" Emily yelled weakly, hands clutching her head, "Just make it stop!"

Unable to hold the contents of her stomach any longer, Emily vomited, yelling in frustration soon after. After what seemed like forever, there was silence. It made her finally look up, face contorted in agony and cheeks damp with frustration. The absence of noise was almost as painful but the peace didn't last long. A sharp cry rang out.

At first, Emily thought it might be one of her friends and tried to break away. Without any sort of tool to aid her, she could do little. As she racked her brain for a way to escape the plastic binding her to the chair, there was a nagging thought in her head. Ever since hearing the recording, a strange feeling had washed over her. It had never happened to her before, but she felt very afraid and stopped struggling the more she thought about it. Something was wrong.

An overwhelming feeling washed over her as her fists involuntarily clenched. Her breathing came faster as her thoughts wandered to dark crevices of her mind. A sob escaped her mouth as memories flashed in her mind. She suddenly realized why there was a camera placed in front of her, which only made her tremble and cry even more. Charles knew exactly what he was doing.

In a fit of anger and frustration, Emily was able to free one of her legs from the cable tie. The pain from the cuts it inflicted was nothing compared to what she was feeling inside. As soon as she was free, she ran over to the camera and knocked it over angrily, kicking it once it was on the ground. She turned, looking for something else to direct her fury at. Before she could tear the room apart, a masked person dressed in black stepped into the light, syringe in hand.

Emily backed away from them, trying to reach the chair to use as a weapon but failing. As her back hit a wall and the masked person closed in on her, she sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Stay away from me! Don't touch me!" she shrieked.

They approached her, stretching out a hand to hold her arm steady.

"No! Don't... please," she cried as the needle punctured her skin.

In a matter of seconds, she was calm and feeling drowsy. Her headache was dissolving into numbness.

"Please, I-," she slurred before passing out completely.


	3. Duck Duck Goose

A dull thumping in Spencer's head awoke her from a restless sleep. As she opened her eyes, she did not find the creepily familiar reproduction of her room. Instead, she was sitting in a dark room. All she could see was a window into another room, behind which stood a dark figure. Confused, Spencer tried to get up but looked down in horror as not one limb moved.

Only when she noticed she was hooked up to an IV did she understand what was going on. This was just one of Charles' sick games. Whatever he wanted from her, he was not going to get it.

"Are you that scared of me? Not only am I paralyzed but you're standing behind a glass. You know what they call that? Being a coward!" she spat at the shadow.

"Spencer..." Mona's voice emerged from the darkness and approached her, placing a shovel in her limp hand. She was wearing an Ali mask but the voice clearly Mona's.

It was the strangest thing ever, watching her put the shovel in her hand and not feeling a thing. Mona was having a hard time placing it in her grip so she resorted to leaning it on the chair near her hand.

"Mona, what's going on?"

"I'm not Mona."

She placed a paper on Spencer's lap and took her place in front of her, another sheet in her own hands. Spencer didn't think she would be able to read it from her lap but the large font had carefully been picked to make it visible. Her head was spinning but she tried to concentrate on the words. It looked like a play script but Mona's turns were left blank.

"No one likes you, you know," Spencer began reading robotically, "You hurt everyone you know and you don't even care. Maybe one day someone will do something about it."

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?"

Spencer didn't know if the second utterance was scripted or not, but she felt her eyelids getting heavy. The room was spinning around and soon she was seeing two Monas before her.

"A-Alison, do you, do you know what your problem is? You, uh, you're such a brat that there's no way to fix you. We would all be b-better off without you."

Spencer breathed out heavily. Muttering a couple of sentences had never been so hard.

Mona turned to the glass and the mysterious person came out of the shadows momentarily. Even though her perception was severely altered, Spencer could see someone in a black veil nodding before disappearing into the shadows once again.

* * *

Hanna grabbed the neatly folded towel and pile of clothing that had been delivered to her and made her way to the bathroom. Around the same time each day they were each allowed a few moments in the shower. It wasn't long but it was a small relief.

She headed to the usual door down the hall, following the twinkling lights in the hall indicating the path. Once she was in front of it she realized it was locked. She struggled with the handle, thinking it might be stuck.

"Please use the next door," the plastic voice on the speakers advised brightly.

Hanna had never entered the adjoining room and turned the door handle slowly. When she opened the door, she discovered the same white tiles as in the other bathroom. A sharp odor hit her square in the face and it was enough to retreat, but she knew she had to obey. _Maybe Charles should hire someone to clean up a bit_ , Hanna scowled, covering her nose with one of her hands. She set her things down on the counter and caught her reflection in the mirror.

The bags under her eyes and her frazzled expression were no surprise. She felt even worse than she looked. However, when she could take a bath was the only time she could forget. She knew she couldn't stay long but it was the only place Charles didn't have a camera. For that reason, anything that could remotely resemble a weapon wasn't available for their use. The shampoo and conditioner didn't come in bottles but in little single-use sachets. Hanna wasn't sure how a bottle could be dangerous but she was sure it had all been carefully planned to avoid inconveniences.

She wondered what her friends were going through. More than anything, she hoped they were all okay. The only thing that comforted her was the fact that she would be able to see them that night, when the power was temporarily cut. She looked forward to that part of the day with an ardent fervor that was almost sickening.

Grabbing on to the edge of the counter, Hanna closed her eyes. She could feel the all too familiar feelings returning. She tried to convince herself that she was alright, that it wasn't her fault she couldn't figure out a way to rebel. But she had too much time to think about things. Before she could control it, she emptied the contents of her stomach into the sink. Tears streamed down her face as she turned away from her reflection. She quickly wiped them away.

As she reached to open the shower curtain, it fluttered and revealed a pool of blood. Hanna shrieked and jumped back. She was sure there was a dead body in the tub, but she hadn't seen who it was. What was she supposed to do? She ran to the door, but it was locked. Shaking the handle didn't help and she collapsed to the floor. Her breath came out in short gasps and she shut her eyes tightly. The smell invaded her nostrils and she felt like she would be sick again.

Hanna knew she had to draw back the curtain and see whose corpse lay in the bloody water. She crawled over to the bathtub and stood up on trembling legs. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the fabric between her fingers.


	4. Baa Baa Black Sheep

A dull thumping in Spencer's head awoke her from a restless sleep. As she opened her eyes, she did not find the creepily familiar reproduction of her room. Instead, she was sitting in a dark room. All she could see was a window into another room, behind which stood a dark figure. Confused, Spencer tried to get up but looked down in horror as not one limb moved.

Only when she noticed she was hooked up to an IV did she understand what was going on. This was just one of Charles' sick games. Whatever he wanted from her, he was not going to get it.

"Are you that scared of me? Not only am I paralyzed but you're standing behind a glass. You know what they call that? Being a coward!" she spat at the shadow.

"Spencer..." Mona's voice emerged from the darkness and approached her, placing a shovel in her limp hand. She was wearing an Ali mask but the voice clearly Mona's.

It was the strangest thing ever, watching her put the shovel in her hand and not feeling a thing. Mona was having a hard time placing it in her grip so she resorted to leaning it on the chair near her hand.

"Mona, what's going on?"

"I'm not Mona."

She placed a paper on Spencer's lap and took her place in front of her, another sheet in her own hands. Spencer didn't think she would be able to read it from her lap but the large font had carefully been picked to make it visible. Her head was spinning but she tried to concentrate on the words. It looked like a play script but Mona's turns were left blank.

"No one likes you, you know," Spencer began reading robotically, "You hurt everyone you know and you don't even care. Maybe one day someone will do something about it."

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?"

Spencer didn't know if the second utterance was scripted or not, but she felt her eyelids getting heavy. The room was spinning around and soon she was seeing two Monas before her.

"A-Alison, do you, do you know what your problem is? You, uh, you're such a brat that there's no way to fix you. We would all be b-better off without you."

Spencer breathed out heavily. Muttering a couple of sentences had never been so hard.

Mona turned to the glass and the mysterious person came out of the shadows momentarily. Even though her perception was severely altered, Spencer could see someone in a black veil nodding before disappearing into the shadows once again.

* * *

Hanna grabbed the neatly folded towel and pile of clothing that had been delivered to her and made her way to the bathroom. Around the same time each day they were each allowed a few moments in the shower. It wasn't long but it was a small relief.

She headed to the usual door down the hall, following the twinkling lights in the hall indicating the path. Once she was in front of it she realized it was locked. She struggled with the handle, thinking it might be stuck.

"Please use the next door," the plastic voice on the speakers advised brightly.

Hanna had never entered the adjoining room and turned the door handle slowly. When she opened the door, she discovered the same white tiles as in the other bathroom. A sharp odor hit her square in the face and it was enough to retreat, but she knew she had to obey. _Maybe Charles should hire someone to clean up a bit_ , Hanna scowled, covering her nose with one of her hands. She set her things down on the counter and caught her reflection in the mirror.

The bags under her eyes and her frazzled expression were no surprise. She felt even worse than she looked. However, when she could take a bath was the only time she could forget. She knew she couldn't stay long but it was the only place Charles didn't have a camera. For that reason, anything that could remotely resemble a weapon wasn't available for their use. The shampoo and conditioner didn't come in bottles but in little single-use sachets. Hanna wasn't sure how a bottle could be dangerous but she was sure it had all been carefully planned to avoid inconveniences.

She wondered what her friends were going through. More than anything, she hoped they were all okay. The only thing that comforted her was the fact that she would be able to see them that night, when the power was temporarily cut. She looked forward to that part of the day with an ardent fervor that was almost sickening.

Grabbing on to the edge of the counter, Hanna closed her eyes. She could feel the all too familiar feelings returning. She tried to convince herself that she was alright, that it wasn't her fault she couldn't figure out a way to rebel. But she had too much time to think about things. Before she could control it, she emptied the contents of her stomach into the sink. Tears streamed down her face as she turned away from her reflection. She quickly wiped them away.

As she reached to open the shower curtain, it fluttered and revealed a pool of blood. Hanna shrieked and jumped back. She was sure there was a dead body in the tub, but she hadn't seen who it was. What was she supposed to do? She ran to the door, but it was locked. Shaking the handle didn't help and she collapsed to the floor. Her breath came out in short gasps and she shut her eyes tightly. The smell invaded her nostrils and she felt like she would be sick again.

Hanna knew she had to draw back the curtain and see whose corpse lay in the bloody water. She crawled over to the bathtub and stood up on trembling legs. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the fabric between her fingers.


	5. The Escape

The authorities didn't arrive right away. Emily thought the situation was urgent enough for them to have been there already, but she just walked on quietly behind Aria and Ezra. He had quickly explained how he had found the site, but Emily couldn't recall any of the details. All she could think about were Spencer and Hanna. She hated herself for how badly she had wanted to leave. She hadn't looked back once.

"Do you hear that?" Aria broke the silence, making Emily strain her hearing.

A faint siren could be heard in the distance. They all breathed out as they rushed towards the sound. Not only were there multiple police cars, but there were also two black SUVs, out of which climbed a woman who identified herself as Special Agent Abrahams. The card clipped onto the pocket of her blazer identified her as a member of the FBI.

While she was examined on the back of an emergency van, Emily looked over at Aria, who was undergoing the same examination. Ezra held her hand as the doctor shone a light in her eyes, but she held it limp on her leg.

"Miss Fields? Emily?" the doctor snapped her back to reality, "Everything seems to be alright. We'll just need to observe your hearing for a while. You'll be transported to the hospital once my co-worker is finished."

"When will we know if they've rescued my other friends?"

"I honestly know nothing. Just sit tight... everything will be okay," she replied with a small smile.

Ezra hopped off the van and took off while Aria moved to sit beside Emily. She grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Ezra's gone to ask about Spencer, Hanna and Mona."

"I just want this to be over," Emily replied, tears in her eyes.

"Me too," Aria whispered, resting her head on her friend's shoulder, trying to keep it together.

The ambulance driver wanted to take them to the hospital as soon as possible for a psych evaluation, but they convinced the doctors to stay until they could see that their friends were safe and sound.

"Psych evaluations…" Aria repeated the words she had heard the doctor say, "Can't we just go home?"

Ezra returned with no answers. Everyone was getting impatient and insisting on driving to the hospital.

"Please, just ten more minutes," Emily pleaded, pacing up and down beside the ambulance.

"We can confirm that we've entered the site. No sign of the unsub," they overheard an agent announce.

Although they both wanted whoever was responsible to be punished for the horrors they had put them through, Emily and Aria cared more about their friends' safety and breathed a sigh of relief knowing there were authorities on the scene.

Ten minutes later, Agent Abrahams reappeared, but she didn't look as pristine as before. Some strands of hair had come loose from her tight bun and the neck of her shirt look slightly askew.

"Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields. I need a word," she proclaimed, pulling them aside.

"Did you see them?" Emily couldn't control the impulse to ask.

"There's been a... a slight drawback."

"What does that mean? Are they safe?" Aria demanded, quickly changing her tone.

Agent Abrahams fidgeted with the pen in her hand as she breathed out heavily.

"No one was inside when we entered."

"How could they be gone?!"

Aria walked off, visibly angry.

"We will find them. I can assure you we're doing everything we can."

"I hope it's enough," Emily lamented, following Aria's footsteps.


	6. Bad Memories

A week had passed without news. A week of tears of happiness gleaming in her parents' eyes while despair shone in Mrs. Marin's and the Hastings'. Aria had been surprised when Melissa had hugged her so tightly, probably wishing it were her sister in her arms. Everyone had so many questions but the answers seemed empty when they couldn't help Hanna or Spencer in any way. She just wanted to forget everything but was forced to relive it with every inquiry.

She couldn't even talk to Emily. They had barely spoken since returning home. The media kept gathering in her lawn, but each day less and less cameramen showed up, as they never caught a glimpse of her. Aria had taken to spending long hours alone in Mike's room, scribbling away in barely legible handwriting. She hadn't been able to sleep in her room, so Mike had generously offered to trade until they figured out what to do. They were being very supportive but she knew they wished it was all over as soon as possible.

Ezra had tried to get in contact with her, but every time she thought about him, she was reminded of the cruel place he had rescued her from. It wasn't fair to him, but judging from what had happened to her, Aria didn't believe the world was meant to be fair. Her friends had never done anything so horrible to deserve what they had been put through and were still suffering.

Pouring her feelings out onto paper was the only way she knew how to talk about it. Without an audience, Aria could tell the truth without feeling judged or pitied. She could express things she wouldn't be able to vocalize.

The pleasant sounds of morning echoed in her ears as she lay on the perfectly-made bed, staring at the ceiling amidst crumpled pieces of paper. No matter how many times she had tried to shut her eyes and fall asleep, all she could think about was Sean. The moment of his death replayed over and over in her head.

The sound of the doorbell startled her, making her spring to her feet. She was tempted to simply ignore it, as she was the only one there and it could easily be a member of a news crew, eager to snap a photo and ask intrusive questions. But as she peeked outside, she realized there was no sign of them. Maybe it was just a delivery guy or Emily, maybe.

Jake's smiling face was not what she expected to see when she opened the door. He held a beautiful peony bouquet in one hand and a copy of _The Sound of Music_ in the other.

"Hey," he simply said.

Aria didn't reply right away. She couldn't; she had kept human interaction to a minimum since she had returned. But his smile was warm and inviting, and he didn't seem to mind waiting for her to respond.

"Hi..."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm..."

What was she supposed to say? _Okay_? She was definitely not okay and she couldn't even bring herself to utter the word. Before the silence became uncomfortable, he drew attention to what he was holding in his left hand.

"I thought watching this could cheer you up," he said, handing it over along with the flowers.

"Thanks... you didn't have to," she responded, looking down at the delicate pink petals.

"It's no problem. We've all really missed you around here."

Aria averted her eyes and tried to hide her trembling hands by shifting the gifts to one hand and running the other through her hair. She felt silly for snapping at such a subtle mention, but she hoped it wasn't blatantly obvious. All she wanted was to thank him and return to Mike's room so he wouldn't have to witness her breakdown, but it was as if she had no control over her body. She couldn't command her hands to grab the door handle or her mouth to utter _goodbye_. The peonies fell from her shaking hands as she tried to turn away.

"Aria, are you okay?"

He furrowed his brow in concern, and held out an arm as her lightheadedness made her teeter.

"I- I'm..."

"It's alright, I got you."

He wrapped his arm around her and helped her to the couch, the flowers and DVD forgotten at the doorway.

After a few minutes of deep breathing and a few sips of water, the spell was over. Jake had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but had prudently kept his distance.

"I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't mean for this happen," she could finally articulate.

"No worries. What are friends for?"

"I know, but I'm no damsel in distress. I can deal with stuff. I don't need you to come saving me and all that stuff."

He smiled, not taking offense with her words.

"Oh, I know. But it's okay to ask for help sometimes. Now, I was kinda hoping I would see Julie Andrews singing..."

"Here you are, chamomile and gingerbread, your favorite," Mrs. Fields cheerily announced, setting the tray down on Emily's bed.

"Thanks, Mom."

"What's that?" Pam asked, referring to the piece of paper Emily held between her hands and was trying to conceal.

"Um... it's a note from Maya... I've been thinking about lots of things lately," she explained nervously.

"I'm sure she's in a better place," Pam stroked Emily's hair warmly.

Emily glanced at the tattered paper one more time before putting it down and turning to her mother.

"I'd like to volunteer somewhere. You know, to help others and to value what I have. What do you think?"

"That sounds like a great idea, honey. I'm so proud of you… Just… remember that the police said to notify them of any changes in your daily routine so they can keep you safe."

Emily rolled her eyes. After their gaping mistake, the police force was desperately trying to prevent any other kidnapping, but she knew it was futile. If Charles wanted to hurt them again, he would.

"Do you have any organization in mind?"

"I was thinking of Pastor Ted's congregation. They hold charity drives and fundraisers every week," she answered, tilting her laptop to show Mrs. Fields the screen with the church's website.

"That sounds lovely."

"I'm glad you think so. I just want to make you proud."

"Emily," Pam responded affectionately, "You know what I want... just for you to be happy. That's the only thing I want."

The words echoed in her ears as she took a small sip from her mug and nearly choked on it.

"I'm just going to continue researching charities just in case," Emily lied, placing her laptop on her crossed legs.

"Alright. I'll leave you to it then."

As soon as her mother left the room, Emily began pacing before taking a seat beside the window.

She ran and ran and ran. Her lungs were begging her to stop but she was too afraid to see who was chasing her. The dimly-lit street continued for miles and miles, without intersections or turns. Emily didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away from him.

As the footsteps behind her closed the gap between them, tears streamed down her face. He grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him. She was face-to-face with a man with piercing blue eyes in a ski mask.

"Emily, don't make this harder than it has to be..."

"Please, let me go."

"I can't do that," he responded, placing a hand on her cheek.

She tried to pull away but his grip on her arm tightened painfully.

"You know what I want..."

He reached one hand out to remove the mask...

Emily awoke in a cold sweat. Her room was now dark; she had fallen asleep on the window seat. A blanket, probably provided by her mother, covered her. She hopped into the shower to clear her mind, but she couldn't forget those harrowing blue eyes.


	7. Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

"According to Agent Abrahams, the FBI agent in charge of the case, their forces are doing everything they can to ensure Mona Vanderwaal, Spencer Hastings and Hanna Marin return home safely. Meanwhile, their teams are analyzing the material found in the dollhouse and at the infamous Campbell farm. Social media was set ablaze when Aria Montgomery and Emily Fields were found alive and it continues to be a trending topic, as friends and neighbors show their support for the victims and their families..."

The sun shone through the barred window as Spencer opened her eyes in slow motion. She peeled her torso off the bed with such difficulty it felt as if someone was sitting on her chest. Turning to face the window at the head of the bed, all she saw outside were trees. It was almost pretty.

She spotted a shadow moving behind the outdated floral curtain to her right. Spencer held her breath as she listened for any threatening noise behind the curtain, but it never came. Impatient, she leaned over and tugged at it hard, managing to rip part of the fabric from the metal hooks looped through a beam in the wall. Hanna lay on the other bed, just as scared.

"I- I c-can't move," she choked, looking down at her legs in desperation.

"It's har- hard, but you...can. I did."

Both of them were having trouble speaking.

"What did he- did he do to us? Where...are...we?" Hanna continued, managing to regain movement in her hand. and wiggling her fingers crazily.

"Charles...he's using some s-sort of...drugs."

"How...wha-what can we... do?"

"It...will...w-wear off s-soon."

A few hours later, they were both sitting upright and able to talk normally. However, getting on their feet was still a challenge. They sat on their beds, their clasped hands creating a bridge between them, scared of what would happen next.

"Do you think Aria, Emily and Mona are together?" Hanna quietly speculated.

"I'm sure they're safe."

"This place is beat up..." Hanna said while looking around, trying to lighten the mood.

The combination of chipped paint and worn out carpet was off-putting. Judging from the rounded metal bed frames and the separating curtains, Spencer deduced they were in an old medical facility, which only made it creepier.

"Hanna! I think I can move my legs!"

Spencer wriggled her toes to show her. The only escape, a door on the furthest corner from them, was all the motivation Spencer needed to face Charles once and for all.

"Why did he bring us here anyways? I don't see any cameras," Hanna mused while coaxing her legs to work again.

"Honestly, something feels off."

Spencer slowly placed her feet flat on the ground, ignoring the musty carpet. The distance, which she could normally cover in a few long strides, felt like an eternity. Hanna's legs weren't responding, so she sat on the edge of her bed, massaging her legs and watching Spencer's progress.

She drew in a long breath as she placed her hand on the doorknob. It was definitely locked but the knob was rattling, as if it were loose. Spencer knew it would be easier to break it with some object, but there was nothing at hand. Fueled by her desperation, she shook it until it came off. She held it up triumphantly to show Hanna.

"Do you think you'll be able to walk over here?"

"Yeah, I think so," she replied as she began taking her first steps.

"It gets a lot better after a while. Just gotta keep the blood flowing," Spencer cheered her on as she desperately clung to the door for stability.

Hanna nodded as she swallowed and continued.

* * *

"Agent Cavanaugh, is the forensics team inside already?" Abrahams asked him as soon as she had arrived from the Campbell farm.

"Yes, they're hard at work. There's something you need to see."

Toby led her into the building past the police officers and FBI agents to a room in the back. Only soft voices and the rustling of papers and tools could be heard as they worked. The eerie silence was deafening.

"We have a dead body identified as Sara Harvey. Her family has been notified. There's also... this room."

"Thanks, Agent. I'll take over from here," she replied curtly, hoping not to sound too harsh but needing absolute concentration in such a serious matter.

Abrahams entered the dimly lit space full of computer monitors and photographs. There were picture boards, frames, printed copies sprawled on the desks and even notebooks with them. The surveillance equipment had to be state-of-the-art to capture so many details of the girls' daily lives: their bedrooms, their routines, their closest friends and family… Alongside those, there were pictures of them while they were kidnapped. Their gaunt faces were enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

As soon as she entered that room, she had realized that the left and right sides were different, as if an invisible line divided the room down the center. The content on the left side did not correlate with the content on the right. While there was the occasional picture of a doll or what appeared to be doll versions of the girls on the left, the right was more immaculately designed, with the photographs classified neatly by year.

"These are definitely two unsubs, right?" she asked the other agents on site.

"We haven't reached a definite conclusion yet."

Abrahams sighed and approached the left side, putting on the latex gloves she had stuffed in the pocket of her pants earlier. She reached out a hand and tugged at a drawer which had yet to be opened, but it wouldn't budge. With the help of some tools, she was able to pry it open. Inside lay a manila envelope, unsealed.

A pile of photos spilled onto her open hands as she titled the envelope. She expected to find similar doll-themed contents, but they showed only one of the four girls: Aria. She quickly began searching the rest of the closed drawers and cabinets, only to find that the other side of the room contained pictures predominantly of Spencer. Were they the main targets or were there envelopes for each of the four girls? So many questions arose in her mind that she had to take a moment to breathe out.

"Agent Abrahams, I think you should see this."

They handed over yet another stack of photographs, but she knew there was something different about them from the way they were handed to her, in a hurry as if to keep them out of their eyeline. Abrahams prepared for the worst and found something just as bad as what she had imagined. Pink dresses, bows and frilly skirts outfitted the corpses, whose wide eyes stared hauntingly ahead.


	8. A Closed Book

Aria traced the engraved letters with her index finger, wiping away the dew that blanketed the grass and trees. _Sean Ackard: Never forgotten, forever missed._ The first rays of sunlight fell on the tombstone as Aria placed one of the bouquets of white peonies on the grass.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered gently, a tear sliding down her cheek.

She removed the crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and studied it to know in which direction to head. As soon as Aria entered the mausoleum, the eerie silence filled her ears. She paid her respects to Shana quickly, hoping to leave as soon as she could. As she was carefully placing the flowers, she heard sharp whispering and instantly recognized one of the voices. Ducking into another hallway, Aria hid behind a wide column and listened.

"No, Sydney, nothing's been okay since Wilden went crazy. He killed someone! ...There's only four of us left, for now," Jenna snarled.

"But, if Wilden's dead, who is sending us those messages?"

Sydney appeared frightened, in complete contrast to Jenna's cool demeanor.

"I don't know... I wouldn't be surprised if it was Alison. She can play pretend all she wants but I don't believe people change. Especially not her."

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"We should pay our respects to Shana..."

"I'd be more worried about our own lives right now," she retorted, walking off.

* * *

Aria breathed out as soon as they had left. Turning the contents of the conversation over in her mind, she headed back to her car. Absentmindedly, she dropped her keys and almost forgot to look before crossing the street. Too many thoughts were crowding her mind, from her friends to Jake to Jenna and Sydney. It was all too much.

"Aria!"

She turned, finding Ezra smiling at her.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

She realized how she must look with her eyes red from crying and her wandering gaze.

"Yeah, fine..."

He seemed concerned, just like everyone else. Aria wished they would all stop feeling pity for her.

"Do you want to hang out for a bit? Maybe have coffee or something?"

"Um... I should go."

The idea of sitting down and talking with him was not attractive in the least. He would probably ask how she was doing and he would probably want her to share details from the dollhouse. Or worse, he would ignore it like nothing had happened and want to focus on their relationship.

"We haven't really talked since… you know."

"You know what? Sure, let's get coffee."

Aria realized she was giving telegraphic answers in response to his genuine concern, but she couldn't act like nothing had happened when she had killed two people and her friends were kidnapped. She only agreed to it so she wouldn't have to do it later. Like peeling off a band-aid, the quicker the better.

"Here you are," Ezra said, placing her usual order at the table and sitting down on the armchair beside her.

Aria placed her elbows on the armrests and looked down at the carpet. She couldn't stand to meet his eyes. Memories of the that awful place flooded back to her as soon as she directed her eyes at his.

"You don't seem alright, Aria. Maybe you should reach out, talk to someone..."

And there it was.

"I actually wanted to talk to you," she briskly replied.

She peeled her eyes off the floor and rested her hands on her knees.

"I'm listening," he gently smiled, reaching for one of her hands and completely misinterpreting the moment.

Aria pulled away, folding them in her lap.

"I had a lot of time to think while I was in there."

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to..."

"I need to, you said so yourself."

Ezra's alarmed face didn't help, but she mustered the courage to continue. She had thought about it for a long time, even before she had been kidnapped. Being cut off from her family and friends had only intensified the feelings. She had had time to think about the relationships she had and how some of them were built on trust and support, and others were not.

"You were there for me when all of the crazy A stuff was happening and you even got me out of that place. I will always be thankful for that. But you... you knew who I was and who my friends were when you met me. You deliberately used me... for what? Fame? Money?"

"Aria... it was all real. I really fell in love with you."

"Does it really matter? It started out as a lie... I'm so sick of lies…"

"Look, I already said I'm sorry. And you're not exactly a beacon of honesty," Ezra hurled back.

"Yeah, I'm trying to change that. But I've always had good intentions."

Ezra let out an exasperated breath.

"Do you think it was easy to date my own student? I did it because I cared about you."

"Do you think it was easy finding your hidden office full of information on my life? Or knowing you had something with my ex-dead friend? Or do you think I didn't see the walls covered in huge portraits of her?"

Ezra frowned and looked around, making sure no one in the café had heard.

"I've done nothing but protect you. I even took a bullet for you and your friends."

"This is over."

Aria got up, leaving her tea untouched. Ezra quickly stood up too, reaching for her once again.

"Don't-" Aria snapped.

"I just- Honestly, Aria, where is this coming from? I don't know what to say," he whispered heatedly.

"Maybe you should just save it for your book."


	9. Temporary

"We believe we are dealing with a sociopath and a psychopath, that is, two different unsubs. The former harbors a specific fixation on dolls and is emotional, less meticulous and prone to outbursts. He or she is the one we should be concentrating on, as the other unsub will be much harder to trace," Abrahams said as she detailed the plan they would follow in order to analyze the scene more efficiently.

"Here comes trouble," one of the forensics specialists murmured to her as a few members of the Rosewood Police Department showed up, their eyes scanning the room.

"May I help you?"

"We're just checking in to see if you need any help," one of the officers replied, smirking.

"We're doing fine."

"Well, we are here to help, you know. Just because we aren't federal officers doesn't mean we are incompetent, ma'am," Detective Tanner replied, walking out from behind the men.

"May I have a word, Detective?"

They walked over to a secluded corner where they wouldn't be overheard. Tanner raised her eyebrows, waiting for Abrahams to speak.

"Again, I thank you for your help. If we need it, we will contact you without a doubt. And taking a look at this department's track record, I would say it's better not to discuss incompetence. Good day, Detective."

Abrahams resented antagonizing herself but she needed to assert her authority, especially with a police department that barely functioned. That was the whole reason the federal government was intervening. It was unacceptable that prisoners had been kidnapped while in their custody, not to mention a suspect escaping.

She breathed out as the police officers and Tanner glared at her before leaving.

"Agent, this is it. I think we might know where they are."

* * *

The dim hallway behind the door was no comfort. Spencer scanned the floor and cringed. It was not the ideal place to be barefoot and on wobbly legs. The rubble littering the hallway would be hard to dodge considering the sheer amount of it.

"I'll go ahead and see if there's an escape," Spencer announced, cringing as soon as she took a step forward.

"I'm not going to let you do this alone," Hanna replied, placing her hand in Spencer's, "Now's not really the time to play the hero."

Spencer smiled at her friend's persistent sense of humor, amazed at how easily she could come up with the best one-liners in the worst circumstances.

"What's that?" Hanna whispered as they reached a point where the corridor merged to the right.

As they approached, they could make out what the sloppy red letters. As soon as Hanna had read what they said, she covered her mouth in relief. Spencer reached out to hug her but couldn't peel her eyes away the wall, more angry than grateful.

"Spencer... I can't..."

Hanna's legs gave way and she fell to her knees as Spencer tried to help her, but only managed to collapse herself. Despite their state, Hanna produced a small smile as the sound of approaching sirens became louder and louder.

"It's over."

Hanna closed her eyes as she lay her head down on the filthy floor, immune to the disarray and only thinking of her mother and Caleb. Once the SWAT team entered and communicated that they had found them into their hand-held radios, the FBI appeared. Spencer scanned their uniforms to see if the local police was among them, but was quickly bombarded with questions.

Are you hurt? Can you stand up? Did you see anyone? Do you need water?

"Please, let the medical team through first. We'll ask questions later," Agent Abrahams instructed the others.

As they were carried away to the ambulances parked outside, Abrahams stayed at the spot where they had been laying. She paced back and forth with a frown on her face, kicking the garbage aside with the toe of her boot. Reaching out a hand to the message on the wall, she read it for the umpteenth time.

 _Freedom is temporary. Enjoy._ _-A_


	10. Code of Silence

Emily sighed, uncrossing her legs and impatiently tapping the floor with her foot. The plastic seat wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be waiting. As she waited for Aria to arrive, she spotted Spencer's parents entering the waiting room through the corner of her eye.

"This isn't acceptable," Veronica was violently whispering, her eyes darting back and forth.

Mr. Hastings whispered something back, which Emily couldn't hear but which prompted Spencer's mom to lightly push him away, disgusted. She had never seen them act that way in public before but, then again, their daughter had never been kidnapped before. They smiled her way as soon as they saw her, as if she hadn't just seen what had transpired.

"Are you here for Spencer Hastings?" a doctor looking down at a clipboard asked.

Emily preferred to wait for Aria to see Spencer and Hanna, so as to give the families some privacy beforehand. She was hoping Aria would show up soon, as the cold, sterile environment was making her uncomfortable. Thoughts of Maya were slowly creeping back into her head, even though she thought she had effectively found closure.

"Have you seen them already?" Aria rushed in, two bouquets in hand, her face flushed.

"No, I was waiting for you. I didn't think to get flowers!"

"No worries, they can be from both of us," Aria smiled, handing one over.

Hanna had never been so pale, her blonde hair matted and without a pinch of makeup on. Her eyes were not the ones of a carefree teenager, but they hadn't been that way in a long time. Holding her friends' hands tightly, she produced a genuine smile before expressing how happy she was that they were able to return home earlier.

"We wish we could have escaped with all of you," Aria replied, guiltily averting her eyes.

Emily felt no better. It was something she couldn't stop thinking about, and she hoped Hanna and Spencer weren't so fixated on it. Anything could have happened to them during the time they were still captured, and she shuddered to think of it. As she caught sight of Hanna's bruised legs while she sat up in the hospital bed, the knot in her throat tightened.

"You did what you had to. No one can blame you for wanting to survive. We're here now," she smiled.

Spencer produced a similar response when they visited her. It was nice of them, but it was of little comfort.

* * *

As Emily climbed into her bed, she couldn't stop the thoughts from echoing in her head. She reached over to her bedside drawer and pulled out the tattered letter from Maya from the bottom, running her hands over the letters. It had been tucked away for a while. As she slowly folded it again, a scribble on one of the back corners caught her eye. In a very light hand, eight small numbers had been written: 51391225.

Emily sharply sat up, making sure it wasn't just her tired eyes playing tricks on her. Pulling it closer to the light of her lamp, she contemplated the digits. What could they mean? She quickly pulled out her laptop, running a search on codes. She tried the first that appeared, described as the simplest. Each number corresponded with a letter of the alphabet, in order. It took her a while to decipher the meaning, as two-digit numbers complicated matters. When she found her name staring back at her on the paper, Emily breathed out.

Entering the address to Maya's website, her whole body felt terribly cold. She wiped her palms on her pajama pants before typing in the number with shaky fingers. A video popped up, but it was one she had never seen before. Maya's eyes were red and she kept running a hand through her hair as she explained the following:

"Emily... I'm glad you found this. You need to know something important…"

She briefly closed her eyes and breathed out heavily before continuing.

"I haven't been completely honest with you... I- there's someone very dangerous out there. I don't know who he or she is but they threatened to tell Lyndon where I had moved... so I agreed to help. They told me what I had to do was simple: just be your friend... But then things got so complicated and I learned about what Mona was doing and it was all so wrong... I'm so sorry, Emily."

A sob escaped her lips as she struggled to continue.

"Everything that happened between us was real, though, I promise. I wanted to stop helping but then I received a message: leave Rosewood or die... And I was scared... Just, please. Please, be careful. There are so many awful people who want to hurt you and your friends... Don't trust anyone... Take care, Emily and I really am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me someday."

Emily continued to stare at the screen long after the video had finished, trying to register everything she had heard. How was it even possible? Before she could hit the replay button, the page went dark. When she refreshed it and a 404 error came up. Slamming the keys angrily, she tried to get the website to reload, but to no avail. It was gone.

The only thing she could think to do was text Aria, if she was still awake. When she promptly responded, she begged to video chat, explaining that something important had happened. Aria's face mirrored Emily's as soon as she heard what had happened.

"I don't know how to feel. She seemed scared and that hurts, but she also hurt me. I don't know why I don't feel like crying."

"Em, it'll get better, I promise. Having someone you love hide something like that from you makes you feel… well, like your entire world is crumbling down, but things will look up. Maybe once you think about it more calmly, you'll understand it better."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You should get some sleep, but I'm coming over tomorrow morning to check up on you, alright?"

After they had said their goodbyes, Emily sat on her bed, littered with paper from her code-cracking. Among them was the letter. Angrily, she pushed them all onto the floor with a sweep of her arm before climbing under the sheets.

She tossed and turned for hours. When she was finally able to fall into her thoughts and let the world melt away, perturbing visions taunted her. As Maya explained everything once again in her dream, someone violently grabbed her. As she turned to see who it was, the blue eyes and ski mask made her shriek.

"Honey, it's just a dream," Mrs. Fields hugged her crying daughter as she woke up.

"Mom..."

"I heard you screaming from my room. It's over now, Emily. You don't have to go back there ever again," she murmured, stroking Emily's hair gently.

"It was Ian..."


	11. Disclosure

As Hanna entered her home for the first time in weeks, tears threatened to escape her tired eyes. Her mother pushed her wheelchair, glad that they had let her daughter go home so soon, but mostly relieved to see her safely home. The creaking of the chair echoed in the empty house.

"Not much has changed," Mrs. Marin said, trying to keep a casual tone while switching on all the lights to make it as cozy as possible.

Hanna nodded and continued to look around. It was true; everything was exactly how she expected it, yet something was different. She couldn't place her finger on it and decided to shake it off. She was home, and that was all that really mattered.

After having a take-out lunch in the company of her mother, Hanna decided to invite her friends over, like old times. Maybe if they acted normal things would feel normal.

"The girls will be coming over in a while, if that's okay," Hanna said, picking at the remaining noodles on her plate.

"If you're feeling up to it, no problem," Mrs. Marin replied with a big smile, trying to hide her worry.

Hanna looked around, unsure of how to proceed., finally settling on watching some TV while her mother showered upstairs. As the news anchor explained a string of recent events, Hanna found herself out of touch with reality. How long had they been kidnapped? She didn't know about the newest viral video or the latest political controversy. The blatant date and time at the corner of the screen was a small comfort.

"And now, back to the Dollhouse Case," the woman on the screen continued in the same tone. It was only one more piece of news to read to her, another combination of words on the same teleprompter. But Hanna felt the hairs on the back of her neck raising immediately, and her whole body tensed in unison.

"Now that all the victims are safely home, new information has surfaced regarding a sixth victim, Sara Harvey. According to our source, she was forced to engage in a cruel competition with another of the victims. Whoever didn't drown while holding their breath underwater was declared the winner in the kidnapper's perturbing game."

As the anchor's words spilled out of her impeccable crimson-colored lips, pictures and videos were displayed on the screen. Hanna averted her eyes, but continued listening, eager to find out Sara's name. She made a mental note to send her family flowers.

* * *

From the moment the doorbell rang, it almost felt like everything was okay, like just another girl's night. Except she couldn't get around without a wheelchair. Aria and Emily were trying really hard to make it seem normal, holding bags of popcorn and candy in their arms as they entered the living room. Hanna could feel their guilt and wished she could convince them to stop feeling that way.

"Nice to see you all again. I'll leave you girls to it," Mrs. Marin smiled, retiring to her bedroom.

There was an unspoken agreement not to discuss the painful events, at least at the beginning.

"So, I kind of told Ezra to get lost," Aria announced, looking down at the bowl of popcorn in her lap but producing a small smile anyways.

"Really?" Hanna and Spencer said at the same time, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah... I never really got over the book thing. And...yeah" Aria cut herself off, not wanting to bring up the dollhouse.

"Good riddance!" Hanna exclaimed, "I was always team Jake anyways."

"Me too!" Emily piped in, high-fiving Hanna.

Aria grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and gently swatted her with it.

"Moving on..." Aria giggled, placing her hands over her cheeks to hide their flush.

After they had thoroughly gorged on junk food and watched enough cat videos to last a lifetime, they sat back and the mood turned melancholic. It was inevitable at that time of the day. And Emily needed to tell them what she had realized; it was eating away at her.

"I don't know what all this means anymore," Hanna sighed after hearing Emily's story and giving her a big hug.

"I can't imagine how you must be feeling," Spencer added, squeezing Emily's arm with affection.

"I'm over the initial shock. Honestly, I just want this all to be over... Everything keeps getting more confusing."

"Did you hear about the blonde girl... Sara?" Hanna mused, staring at the ceiling from her spot on the sofa, receiving grim nods of recognition.

"Who could go to such great lengths to make others suffer?" Aria said, hugging the cushion tightly.

"We need to keep investigating. It's the only way we can make this end. And I know that it never seems to end, but we need to try," Spencer replied, sitting up.

They all looked at each other, noticing how worn out they all were. And it wasn't just the fact that it was midnight already. Every threat, every death and every text message only made them sleep less, eat less, know less.

"I'm not going back to school," Aria mumbled, breaking the silence, "I can't go back and hear girls complaining about tests and essays or worse, prom dresses."

"Me neither, but I was thinking about taking the GED," Spencer replied.

"That's a good idea," Hanna contemplated while Emily just kept quiet.

"I guess I just want to do other things... Enjoy life or something," Aria mused, "Maybe travel. That would be nice."

"Yeah, it would be," Emily smiled, probably thinking of a faraway tropical island where no one would know her name, let alone her phone number to blackmail her.

Four simultaneous beeps pulled them back to reality. Spencer rolled her eyes and pondered whether to reach over for her phone, which was vibrating wildly on the coffee table. She was just so tired...

"Is this a video?" Aria squinted at the screen of her phone.

"Oh my god," Emily's words and her sharp intake of breath made Spencer scramble to see what they were looking at.

There was no message, no signature, just a video. A brunette was shoveling dirt into a hole in the ground. Reaching an arm up to wipe her damp forehead, Melissa's face was revealed as she continued to bury the corpse.


	12. The Truth?

Spencer paced back and forth, running a hand through her hair. Melissa was inside the police department somewhere, being interrogated by the FBI with Mrs. Hastings as her lawyer. The video hadn't just been sent to them; it had been published on the Internet and sent to the police. All of Rosewood was talking about Melissa.

"Let's go," Mrs. Hastings snapped as she sharply exited the room.

"I hope you know this isn't it," Agent Abrahams called out, "If we find anything else of interest, we will reach out to you."

Knowing exactly what she was implying, Melissa stormed off behind her mother, with Spencer at her tail. The tension in the air driving back to their house was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Mrs. Hastings eyes were firmly fixed on the road, frowning, while Melissa just stared at her khakis.

"So..." Spencer began, trying to get in on the happenings as soon as she was alone with her sister.

"I didn't kill her, okay? It's all just a mess. Someone is framing me," Melissa replied, her hands shaking as she downed a glass of wine.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?!"

"I was- there was someone in a mask behind the camera. That person was threatening me, saying horrible things... I just want all of you to be safe. I-I just knew it would come back to hurt me."

By that time she was already fully in tears and Spencer reached out to comfort her.

"I thought I could get away from it..."

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Toby asked for what seemed like the hundredth time, squeezing Spencer's hand slightly.

She laid her head on his shoulder and breathed out. If only she could stay in that peaceful moment forever and not have to worry about murders and interrogations, but just concentrate on Toby's comforting hand in hers.

"Yeah, I guess. At least I know my sister's not a monster. She was just played, like we all have been at some point."

"I was wondering if you could help me with something. I came across a box of my mom's stuff hidden in the attic. I don't know if... Could you be with me when I open it?"

"Of course."

As they peered inside, photos and varied mementos peaked out. The contents included ticket stubs, baby pictures and scribbled notes. Toby's face lit up with every item he found and carefully examined. Spencer sat beside him, simply watching and admiring the tender scene. When they were close to reaching the bottom, Toby pulled out some rolled-up fabric which resembled a dress. Just as he opened it to see what it was, there was a metallic sound, as if something had fallen and hit the wooden floor.

"What was that?" Spencer asked, looking at the nearby floorboards.

"I don't know... but this dress... I remember it."

Tears were in his eyes and Spencer scooted closer to him and wrapped him in her arms, rubbing his back gently.

"I'm sure she looked lovely in it."

There was a small note inside: _With all my love, P._

"Who's P?" Spencer wondered.

Toby shook his head in confusion.

She shifted her weight, trying to get comfortable as something was poking at her leg. Spencer place her hand under her leg to see if there was anything she had sat on, hopefully not anything that was Toby's mom's. She felt a small metallic shape on the floor and pulled it out, holding it up to see what it was.

"A cufflink?"

"Must have been misplaced," Toby shrugged it off, breathing out and composing himself.

Spencer turned it over in her fingers. There was something strangely familiar about it. A beam of sun shone in through the window and she could finally see why. The initials PH were engraved in curly cursive.

"This is my father's," Spencer stammered, holding it up.


	13. What Lies Behind

Emily placed the cans at the top of the neat pile set out on the table into the cardboard box labeled _donations_. She had been there, in front of the church, collecting food donations the whole morning. Reaching a hand up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, she saw Pastor Ted approaching.

"You've done a great job," he smiled before heading off to help a woman with one too many boxes in her arms.

Making note of the total number of goods she had been able to fit in the box on her clipboard, she proceeded to taping it shut. As she reached out for the next one, she spotted Jenna out of the corner of her eye. She was speaking with another volunteer, who promptly guided her to Emily's table.

"Emily?"

"Yeah, it's me."

She could see her reflection in Jenna's pitch black sunglasses, looking anything but friendly.

"Can we talk? In private?"

Emily sighed. She would rather not have anything to do with the likes of Jenna Marshall, but agreed to it. They entered the chapel and sat down.

"Someone is trying to hurt me and I'm scared. I don't know who else to turn to," she whispered quickly.

"Jenna, it's not us..."

"I know that, but there is something you should know. All of your friends should hear it. Meet me by the kissing rock tonight."

And with that, she got up and made her way to the door. Emily breathed out and slumped on the wooden pew. After sending her friends a text to meet up as soon as possible at her house, she headed back outside.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late guys," Hanna rushed in to take a spot on the Fields' couch.

"Where were you?" Spencer frowned, pacing back and forth, "It's not like your sister is being accused of murder."

Aria looked over at her with a pointed glance.

"I'm just saying..."

"Look, Spencer, we're all a little anxious but there's no need to take it out on Hanna," Emily took over, trying to keep the peace.

"I was at the shrink, okay?" Hanna rolled her eyes, "So can we move on and talk about why we're here?"

Emily went on to explain what had happened earlier that day. They all agreed they needed to see Jenna and hear her out, despite the fact that she didn't really deserve their empathy.

"Are we sure it isn't a trap?" Aria mused, thinking of Jenna's past actions.

"No, but she really did seem scared. It doesn't mean we have to trust her, though."

Even though they discussed how dangerous it could be, they decided to be prepared for whatever could happen. They would be sure to equip themselves with flashlights and some sort of weapons so they wouldn't be defenseless if it really was a trap.

Spencer stood up from her chair, wringing her hands.

"There's something else we need to talk about... Toby found my dad's cufflink in his mother's things."

No one said anything for a while. A lot of thoughts crossed their minds but they cared too much about Spencer to voice them.

"Try not to jump to conclusions," Emily blurted out, trying to make it less uncomfortable and looking down at the carpet when she realized she had asked something impossible.

"How am I supposed to not jump to conclusions? My dad and... Marion? My poor mother... I don't even..."

Spencer placed her face in her hands and tried to push those thoughts out of her mind while her friends comforted her the best they could.

"I know it hurts, but we should try to look into it first, like Emily said," Aria replied, appealing to her friend's logical side and producing a small smile instead of remembering the pain she had gone through with her father's dishonesty.

"Yeah, tonight we'll take care of Jenna and then we can work out a plan to go to Radley or something," Hanna proposed.

Spencer nodded, acknowledging her friends' efforts to make her feel better but terrified by what they could find.

* * *

The police station was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop. It was one of those slow days which Toby hated it. He felt like he had to be occupied in order to really earn his wages. He decided to clean up the workspace a bit, remembering that his superiors always commended initiative. Nobody did much tidying unless it was the janitor.

After organizing the reports sprawled out on the desk into neat piles, he moved on to a filing cabinet on which the last drawer was always jammed. It wasn't exactly what he had pictured himself doing as a policeman, but he wasn't too proud to get his hands dirty, especially when it was something he knew how to do well. From his spot on the floor, something caught his eye. There looked to be something almost undetectable squeezed behind the filing cabinet. Carefully, so as to not rip it, he pulled out a dusty folder.

Inside, there were plenty of names of Rosewood citizens, separated into neat little categories. For each name there was a wealth of resources and information, including DVDs and official documents. There was information on Garret Reynolds, Jenna Marshall, Melissa Hastings... As soon as he came upon the faces of Spencer and her friends, he knew he had to keep it a secret. He wanted to take time to examine it to make sure there was nothing in there that could hurt them. And he was starting to have his doubts regarding whose it could be, thinking that perhaps there was a mole among them.

He took advantage of the empty police station to stuff it inside his shirt and head over to the locker room to put it away with his things. As he exited the locker room he was able to breathe out.

"Hello, Officer Toby," Agent Abrahams greeted him as she walked down the hallway, "Anything new on the case?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure we'll get a lead."

"I'm sure we will," she replied with a simper.


	14. The Woods at Night

The pale moonlight peeking through the thick, gray clouds bathed Spencer's face as she looked out her bedroom window. She was still unsure what Jenna's hidden intentions were, but she had promised her friends she was going with them and she wasn't one to go back on her word. Looking up at the night sky, she hoped it wouldn't rain but made a mental note to change her sneakers for rain boots anyways.

Her phone buzzed, displaying a new text message from Aria saying she was on her way. The screen lit up the room as she looked down at it and turned to leave as well. But before she did, something caught her eye. Through the thin material of Alison's bedroom curtains, she could see her speaking with someone quite heatedly.

Spencer retreated into the shadows of her bedroom and watched from a safe vantage point. Alison was waving her hands furiously in the air. The listener wasn't in front of the window, making it impossible to see who she was yelling at. As Alison angrily paced, the other person approached her, revealing their identity.

Cece Drake replied to her, looking more worried than mad. Spencer didn't know what was going on but she didn't like the situation at all. Was it a coincidence that they were together on the night they were meeting Jenna? But would they really be so careless to meet each other in Alison's bedroom if it really was anything that bad?

Her mind reeling from what she had seen, Spencer rushed downstairs, letting her mom know she would be sleeping over at Emily's that night. Before heading to their destination, she picked up Hanna, only to discover she wasn't alone.

"Hanna, this isn't a field trip," Spencer muttered, although Caleb could hear her from the back seat.

"Nice to see you too, Spencer!"

"He wouldn't take no for an answer."

Spencer shook it off and told her about what she had seen from her window.

"I don't trust her. She might have that whole bad girl turned good shtick going on, but I don't believe it for one second."

Caleb expressed his agreement. Spencer was glad she wasn't the only one who had a hard time trusting her, but the real problem would be convincing Emily.

Aria pulled up only a few minutes after Spencer, making impatient Hanna glad they wouldn't have to wait for long. They all began their walk towards the kissing rock, looking around constantly at all the dark corners between the trees.

"Why are these things always at night?" Hanna complained, "Is it really that difficult to find an isolated place in the daytime? Or is it just for effect that we do this?"

"Jenna's probably trying to scare us," Emily replied, "But the joke's on her because we've been in more creepy places at night that I can count on my fingers…"

"I'm still kind of scared, though," Aria admitted, letting Spencer take the lead, "So don't leave me in the back!"

Spencer shone her flashlight at the ground as they made their way. The damp leaves made little noise as they walked, but they reminded her that she had forgotten to change out of her white canvas sneakers. She didn't even want to think of how much time she'd need to spend cleaning them up after their midnight forest trek.

"We're here," Spencer announced as soon as she caught sight of the infamous landmark.

Aria jumped a little at her voice, but recovered quickly when she realized it was only Spencer.

"Why isn't she here yet? Wasn't it supposed to be urgent?" Hanna asked, looking around.

"Maybe she just ran into traffic or something," Emily tried to excuse her, "Let's wait a little while."

"Okay, but not too long. This place gives me the creeps," Aria protested, standing a little closer to Hanna and Caleb.

The only thing they could hear were their muffled voices and the wind rustling the trees. There was no sign that anyone would be joining them. They waited, some more patiently than others, but no one showed up.

"Are you sure it was today Emily?" Caleb asked quietly, not meaning any harm.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"So why are we standing in the woods waiting like idiots?"

Hanna stood up from where she had sat down a while ago and scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Ugh! I'm tired of waiting and my butt is damp from these leaves. Can we leave?"

"It has been like half an hour…" Spencer agreed.

Emily knew they were right and simply nodded and followed her friends. Maybe she had understood wrong, she thought. Or maybe Jenna just wanted to make fools out of them, but the way she had spoken to her had seemed genuine. However, unlike her friends, Emily didn't suspect Alison had anything to do with it. Spencer had made some passive aggressive remarks about her and Cece while they had been waiting after explaining what she had seen. Sure, Alison was no saint, but what trouble could she really be involved in? As Aria drove her back to her house, Emily looked out the window, head full of thoughts.


	15. Total Recall

"After the very serious accusations that came about thanks to a video distributed by an anonymous sender, Melissa Hastings became the prime suspect in the murder of Bethany Young. Today, the police have officially dropped their charges due to a lack of evidence. Despite their best efforts, they could not locate or get in touch with the Young family. Case closed, for now…"

The news on the television only reiterated what Spencer had told them in the early hours of the morning: Melissa was no longer being accused. Hanna felt happy for her friend, but couldn't help feeling that there was something fishy about Melissa. She couldn't explain why but she always felt like there was something she wasn't telling anyone. Hanna wasn't proud of feeling that way, especially seeing how happy Spencer was that her sister wasn't being unjustly accused. Maybe it was just the way she was now: paranoid and afraid to trust anyone.

It had been out of character of her to start attending therapy sessions. All the doctors she had seen had recommended it. Hanna had always smiled and nodded politely but ultimately ignored the advice. _I'm not crazy, I can handle this myself,_ she had thought. But after the dollhouse, everything had changed. Whenever she lay her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, haunting memories played on repeat. She had to sleep in her mom's room most nights.

She couldn't forget Sara's lifeless face surrounded by bloody bathwater. And each time, the fear that it was one of her friends was new. Her friends were in danger every time she fell asleep. Upon waking up, Hanna would realize she was in her real bed, safe, her body covered in a cold sweat. She realized that sometimes she woke up screaming or crouching on the floor. It needed to stop.

Her therapist was a woman with kind blue eyes who had the biggest collection of knit cardigans Hanna had ever seen. She greeted Hanna with a smile every time she had an appointment and had a cup of tea ready on the sofa across from her. The office was minimalistic: it was completely white, with the two sofas and plants adorning the place here and there. On the wall behind one of the chairs was a wooden shelf with a neat display of books. In a corner was her tea-preparing spot: a small table with an electric kettle, a few teacups and mason jars labeled with names of herbs. Behind Hanna's usual spot was a large window through which a small cluster of trees could be seen, but nothing else. It was comforting for some reason.

"I've brewed some green tea today," she chirped from the corner, as she poured the hot water into two teacups.

"That sounds great," Hanna smiled, taking a seat.

As soon as she was handed the teacup, she put it to her lips and tasted it. Every few weeks, the teacups she used changed. This time, it had a delicate black bird painted on it. The tea was delicious, as usual. And it always helped her begin talking.

"So, where did we leave off last time?"

"I think we were talking about my… my eating disorder," Hanna replied, avoiding her gaze.

Hanna had tried to forget about it for so long that talking about it again triggered feelings she had been repressing. As they talked it over, Hanna recalled how she couldn't keep any food down and how she always had to rush to the bathroom after meals. It seemed so far away at moments and so real and palpable at others.

"I need a moment," Hanna breathed out, closing her eyes.

"Of course, I'll leave you alone for a few minutes. I'll be right outside; call if you need me."

Hanna nodded, gripping the armrest.

"What did I do?" Hanna whispered, putting her face in her hands.

Tears streamed down her face as memories came flooding back uncontrollably. Everyone had been asleep and she had snuck away to get rid of the snacks she had just eaten at the barn. In the darkness, she had seen a blonde, Ali. Feelings of anger reappeared, just like that night. She had said horrible things to Ali, but she didn't regret them. After all the passive aggressive comments Alison had made about her weight, she deserved to be the one on the receiving end. Alison just ran, not even having the decency to look her in the eyes. Maybe she was just afraid. Hanna had been furious and when she saw the shovel, she had picked it up. All she could think about was her taunting smile whenever she called her Hefty Hanna or when she told her to stop eating. Had she hit her? She had had the shovel in her hands and she had lifted it behind her perfect curls, but she didn't remember Alison falling to the ground.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"May I come in?"

Hanna wiped the tears and called out a _yes_. She shifted in her seat and had a sip of tea.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little," Hanna lied, clasping her hands to stop them from shaking.

"Shall we leave it here for today?" she suggested, seeing the state in which Hanna was in.

"Yes, please."

She grabbed her handbag from the coat rack beside the couch and turned to her therapist, who was sticking her hand out. Her blue eyes crinkled as she smiled and offered some words of comfort. Hanna gulped, staring intently in her eyes as she spoke and shaking her hand as firmly as she could manage.

As the elevator doors closed, she clutched her purse to her and breathed out. It was all coming back. She hadn't hit Alison. She had put the shovel down when she had seen Mrs. Grunwald holding out a hand towards the dirt. The last thing she could remember before waking up in the barn again was seeing someone take it.


	16. A Museum of Natural History

Aria sat back in the chair, glancing quickly at her watch before looking around again. She had been waiting for Jake for only a few minutes but it felt like forever. It was only normal; she had asked him to meet up on such short notice, but everyone else seemed too busy or preoccupied with more serious issues. Spencer was with her sister; Hanna didn't respond to her texts and Emily was busy with her volunteering. And it wasn't like she could turn to her family. Her parents treated her like a wounded child and Mike would barely utter a few sentences to her. Jake responded every time. He didn't ever ask for explanations when she pleaded for some company.

She had chosen a new café. It was time to make new memories. She could hear a mellow acoustic melody intermingled with the soft murmur of people chatting and the sound of mugs being set down on tables. The simple light bulb hanging over the table emitted a warm glow. Her spot beside the window allowed her to observe all the passersby, but she was only looking for Jake. _Why was he taking so long? What if he had changed his mind?_ She was blind to the men in suits rushing by, to the parked cars, to the dog chasing a pigeon…

She broke into a smile as soon as she saw him walk hastily to the entrance. As he sat down across from her, he wiped his brow.

"Sorry I'm late. I was just at a class."

"It's fine… You came," she smiled.

"I believe so, yes," he teased.

After they had ordered, a chai latte for her and black coffee for him, Aria could finally relax. He genuinely seemed to want to be there. He wasn't tiptoeing around topics or trying to assess her mental health disguised as a conversation.

"You could come by the gym again sometime, if you'd like to," Jake suggested, stirring his coffee, and looking up at her with expectant eyes.

Aria looked out the window, mulling it over. Part of her did want to go… She was pulled out of her thoughts by a familiar car parked across the street. The sun shining on its gray hood had made her cover her eyes and had drawn her attention to it. It was almost out of sight, yet the sudden clarity had placed it at the forefront.

"You don't have to…" he amended his previous statement, judging by her lengthy silence.

"No, it's not-"

Jake turned his head, looking in the same direction as her and wondering what had made her features change so quickly. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary and turned back to her, brow furrowed in concern.

"Aria…"

He began tapping his foot on the ground.

"It's just… Can you promise not to freak out?"

He nodded slightly.

"I think Ezra is across the street in his car."

Jake immediately got to his feet, clenching his fists. Aria got up as well, placing a hand on his arm and urging him to sit down again. After a few moments, he remembered his promise and sat back down. His eyes scanned the street frantically.

"At least tell me where he is…"

Aria turned back to describe the car's surroundings but only saw an empty parking spot. She scanned the street but there was no trace of Ezra's car.

"It's…not there," Aria murmured, blinking slowly and knowing what it might seem like.

"Let's get out of here," he said, placing a five-dollar bill on the table.

* * *

Back at her house, Aria watched Jake pace from one end of her bedroom to the other from her spot on her bed. She fidgeted with her phone, passing it from one hand to the other, and followed him with her gaze. Aria had had to tell him about her long and complicated relationship with Ezra, holding back nothing. He had listened attentively without interrupting but she had noticed his eyes rolling a few times. Saying it all out loud, from the very beginning, put things into perspective. It was almost like she was hearing a fictional story and she could judge the characters calmly from the comfort of her normal life.

"This guy's a psycho…" he finally replied.

Aria remained silent.

"I don't know what he's up to, but we should find out," she began, checking Jake's reaction to her words.

"What do you mean?"

She breathed out and stood up, heading for her desk. In one of the drawers, tucked inside a notebook, she kept his apartment key, which she promptly pulled out. Even though she no longer spoke to Ezra, she had never gotten around to returning it.

"Maybe we can find some information in his apartment."

Jake stared at the key she was holding out and took a step back. It was only normal; he wasn't used to that kind of thing. He had an average life with no police altercations, no mysterious deaths and no illegal break-ins. Of course he would be shocked by the idea.

"Okay, let's do it."

"Really?"

"If it will help you feel safe, let's do it."

Aria reached out to hug him, smiling wide. He squeezed her warmly back but didn't bear such an optimistic expression.

* * *

"Did it have to rain today?" Jake murmured, shifting his weight and peeking through the leaves.

They had been waiting for Ezra to leave his apartment for over an hour. Crouching behind a bush was among the least romantic things they could be doing on a rainy day. Aria smiled apologetically and he winked at her in return, taking back his previous complaint.

"Isn't that him?" he whispered sharply, leaning in as much as he could.

"Yes!"

As soon as he was gone for good, they entered the building, trying their hardest not to act suspicious. It came a lot more naturally to her because it wasn't her first time entering that apartment without Ezra. A little voice in her head almost told her that she would commit a horrible act of betrayal by sneaking in with another guy, but she quieted it rapidly. Nothing she could do would measure up to his duplicity.

Upon entering the apartment, Aria immediately noticed how different it looked. There were papers strewn everywhere: on the couch, on the kitchen counter, on the coffee table… A new corkboard adorned the wall beside his bed. It was also packed with papers, pinned haphazardly to it. In the center, in red letters, there was a quote from _The Catcher in the Rye_ : "I'm sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect."

Aria began looking through the papers on the coffee table and Jake joined her. After sifting thoroughly through anything they could get their hands on, they were in the same position as they started.

"There's nothing of interest to us here, just all these bills and financial junk," Jake breathed out, hands outstretched in dismay.

"I know… It's better if we leave now so we don't risk getting caught."

As they returned everything to their original places, Aria couldn't stop thinking about Ezra's finances. It wasn't that she had any particular interest in that type of transactions, but it did remind her of the lair in Rosewood. There had been a payroll with Cece Drake's name on it. Spencer had seen her speaking to Alison that week…

On their way out, Aria quietly locked the door and finally breathed out, with Jake smiling at her side. She placed her hand in his as they left, glad that she could count on Jake for even the craziest things. Once again, they looked around profusely to make sure no one saw them. They were lucky both times, as no one entered or left the building with them. However, they missed one small detail: the red blinking light of a camera in Ezra's apartment.


	17. Two Truths and a Lie

_The Rosewood Times_

 _LOCAL TEENAGER FOUND DEAD IN FOREST_

 _The body of Jenna Marshall was discovered by a jogger at the place locally known as the Forbidden Forest last night. Witnesses say she was tied to a tree with thick rope, propped up as if she were standing. The jogger who first saw the body and called 911 only realized Marshall was dead when she approached her. Authorities estimate the death took place anywhere from 2 to 3 days ago. Police are waiting for the autopsy to conclude if it was a homicide. "It's always shocking and saddening when we hear of a new death, but we'll continue to fight for justice and for those responsible to be prosecuted,"Anne Okonjo, mayor of Rosewood, declared in a press conference this morning._

"I knew something was wrong!" Emily shouted, stamping the newspaper firmly on Spencer's kitchen counter.

Hanna, Spencer and Aria looked at each other uncomfortably. They had thought Jenna had simply flaked, not that she would wind up dead. Spencer tried breaking the tension by suggesting a round of tea, an offer which they quickly agreed to. Emily ran a hand through her hair.

"Something weird is going on," Aria began, unsure if it was the best moment to explain her theory.

"That's the understatement of the year…" Hanna mumbled.

"Remember that Cece was on Ezra's payroll? We never figured out why."

"Aria, Jenna is dead!" Hanna replied, taking a big gulp from her mug.

As her friends continued to talk about Jenna's death, Aria just nodded absently. She knew Jenna's death was important, but she was sure it was all tied together somehow. Spencer's frequent glances her way made her think she might agree. Or maybe she disapproved of Aria's insistence.

"I've got to go, guys. Toby says he found something important. You can stick around if you want," Spencer announced after checking her phone.

"I've got somewhere to be too. Take care," Hanna called back as she followed Spencer to the door.

"Are you in a rush too?" Aria asked Emily as they walked towards their cars.

"No. I was thinking of stopping by the supermarket to pick up some food to donate. I know, not the most exciting thing to do…"

"Mind if I come with? I'd rather not be alone at my house," Aria replied, to Emily's surprise.

"Sporty Spice and Tiny Spice go on a mission!" Emily teased.

* * *

"This is… unbelievable," Spencer observed, leafing through the papers strewn across the table.

"There's information about so many people. I've been poring over the files and there is nothing on Wilden, strangely enough."

"So, you think this is his? I guess that makes sense, knowing him. It makes me sick to think he probably used people's secrets against them."

"And that's not all…" Toby said, flipping through the pile of papers until he found what he was looking for, "Look."

Garrett's eyes looked up at her from the page. The page was a kind of police record form, with all kinds of information on him, something that Wilden would have had easy access to. However, that wasn't what Toby was drawing her attention to. A dark red x in marker was neatly drawn over his face. On the following pages, there were over a dozen pictures of Garrett taken from a distance. Some featured him at work, others showed him at the supermarket.

"Wilden killed Garrett?" Spencer finally muttered what they were both thinking.

"It could make sense… Maybe Garrett was onto him and Wilden needed to take care of him."

"Yeah…" Spencer replied, feeling a strange hopefulness washing over her.

Toby reached out to take her hand and produced a small smile.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble for this?" Spencer fretted, letting go of his hand and closing the folder.

"I won't get caught. Once I make sure there is nothing that can harm you or your friends, I'll say I found it and turn it in to the chief."

Spencer stared at the blank front of the dossier, the edges slightly worn. She traced a finger over the places where the paper had buckled from humidity.

"What if there is something, though? We have a lot of crap against us…"

"It'll be okay. Just trust me."

She nodded and leaned into his open arms, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. How many more times would people she loved have to risk their reputations for her?

"Be careful," she pleaded, looking up at him.

"I'm a cop. I know what I'm doing," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

 _So was Wilden…_ , Spencer thought as he moved on to discussing dinner options.


	18. Coming Clean

Hanna read the sentence for the fifth time and breathed out, resting her head on her left hand. After attempting it once more, she finally gave up and decided to take a break. As she headed down the stairs, her phone notified her of a new message. Pulling it out of her jeans, she saw Mona's name on the screen.

Hesitantly, she opened it. To Hanna's surprise it was a simple message checking up on her, almost if they didn't have a strange and twisted history. Rolling her eyes, she continued to the kitchen to grab a snack. As much as she wanted to enjoy her PB&J in peace, she couldn't stop turning the idea around in her head. The topic of forgiveness had cropped up a few times with her therapist in the past weeks.

After making small talk about college, summer vacation and the TV shows they were watching, Hanna felt a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She had been recommended a "fake it 'till you make it" approach and it was surprisingly working. For just a moment it didn't feel like she had to worry about stalkers or murderers, just where she might apply to university. It was just like back when Mona and she had been close friends.

Eventually, Mona asked if she wanted to do something together that day. Hanna was sick of studying but knew she would have to get back to it soon so she invited her over. Although this was her excuse, she knew that part of her didn't want anyone to see them together. What would they think of her?

At first it was a tad awkward, but as soon as they put on a romantic comedy and bonded over the cheesy lines, it was like old times. When the credits rolled, Mona announced she needed to head back to her house. Hanna was strangely disappointed, but when she made a move to get up, she noticed Mona wasn't budging from her spot on the sofa.

"I really had a nice time, Hanna," she said, producing a smile which quickly dimmed, "But I need to say something if we're going to be anything like friends again."

"I've decided to forgive you. You don't need to say anything," Hanna assured her.

"No, I do. We need to start from scratch and that means I need to be honest. I did terrible things when I was playing the game, but there are other people involved… so many people. I don't even know how far it goes."

Hanna shut her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Hearing about it was exactly the opposite of what she wanted. At every corner, there would always be something to remind her that her life wasn't normal. She had been trying so hard to focus on the good part of Mona and now the illusion had been completely shattered, like seeing a behind the scenes shot of a special effects movie.

"Hanna, I'm sorry to bring this up…," Mona said, seeing Hanna shrink away from her, "You just need to know that Ali and Cece are bad news. They were the ones that took over when I stopped being A. They're… insane. And that's coming from someone who was in Radley," Mona ended her monologue with a jab at herself to lighten the mood, as Hanna's face was becoming paler and paler.

"So… are they still doing A stuff?"

She had to ask. If it would bring them any closer to being able to live in peace, it was worth the temporary discomfort.

"I don't think so. After Ali got in trouble with the police, I doubt she would continue."

"Thanks for your honesty. I know it must not be easy…"

They shared a sympathetic look.

"I promise I'm going to be a better person now. If you need anything, let me know," Mona said before standing up and putting her jacket on.

"I'm trying to be a better person, too."

"Let me know when you're free again. I had fun."

Hanna smiled and nodded. Maybe second chances were possible.

Aria struggled with the pile of notebooks and papers she was lugging to the library. She had discovered that it was the ideal place to write; it was so utterly quiet there that her thoughts flowed easily from her head to her pen. Sometimes she would see someone with a unique look or a certain air that inspired her and she would write a quick story or poem about them. And there was something nice about blending in with the droves of students studying. The downside was that she needed to take all her outlines and writing supplies, which were a lot. Someone scowled at her as she almost ran into them; she had been too distracted preventing her things from falling onto the sidewalk.

"Sorry," she called out quietly just after she full-on bumped into someone from behind. She winced, knowing she had probably painfully dug the edges of her notebooks into the person's unsuspecting back.

"It's fine…"

As soon as Ezra turned around, Aria took a step back and stopped apologizing. She shifted the things in her arms nervously.

"Oh, hi," he said nonchalantly.

"Hi."

She couldn't even look him in the eyes, but rather fixed them on the purple cover of her spiral notepad. He quickly sensed her unease and stepped closer.

"I didn't do what you think I did," he whispered.

Aria's head snapped up, caught completely off guard. Now she couldn't stop looking into his blue eyes. _How could he read her so easily? Why wasn't she walking away instead of confronting this person she knew nothing about? Why couldn't she at least tell him off?_

"I don't think—"

"Aria, I hope you know I would never hurt you… I didn't hit her that night," he said, looking around and deciding to head over to an alley a few steps away to continue talking. Ezra offered to take her armful of papers for her, but she refused and followed without thinking twice. His continuous looking around to make sure they were out of earshot made her uneasy.

"Please don't be scared of me, Aria… Look, I will admit I worked with Cece. I'm not proud of it but I really didn't have much of a choice… She threatened me… and you. What was I supposed to do?"

He ran a hand over his face and turned away from her, towards the brick wall. Aria was stunned. All she could do was stare at the back of his blazer and feel like she had completely messed things up. She breathed out and took a step backwards. But, despite her feelings of guilt, she couldn't make her hand reach out to comfort him or even get any closer. She felt nothing at all, and it scared her more than any A message she had ever received. _Why couldn't she muster some empathy? How could she feel nothing for the man who had meant so much to her?_

"I- I'm sorry," Aria whispered before walking so quickly out of the alley she almost tripped over her own feet.


	19. Liabilities

Aria shuffled home from the library, thinking of her run-in with Ezra. Her mixed feelings towards him kept confusing her. She couldn't stop caring for him but she felt scared and small, like a child. It was ironic how she had tried to act older than her years when they had started and now she just wanted to retrace her footsteps.

"Hey Aria," someone said from behind her as she walked up her driveway.

Noel Kahn smirked at her from a bit further up the sidewalk.

"Hi…"

"How's everything?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Good, thanks."

They stared at each for a few moments without saying anything. His gaze was so intense that it made Aria uncomfortable, reminding her of Ezra.

"I'm kind of in a rush… see you around?" she said breaking the silence and trying to keep things as polite as possible.

"Yeah, whatever," he uttered nonchalantly, walking off, "Say hi to your friends for me."

Aria picked up her pace and found Mike sitting on the porch in silence. She hadn't seen him there before. Had he seen her talking to Noel?

"You should stay away from him."

"Noel? Why?"

"He's involved in strange things. Just keep away from him; you don't need that kind of problems in your life."

As he walked through the front door, Aria didn't insist. She knew he said it to protect her but she wished he wasn't so secretive all the time. But Aria knew that living in Rosewood was like walking through a minefield. If she didn't fall for one, she would certainly walk into another.

* * *

Spencer sent the SOS message to her friends while Toby ordered pizza. It wasn't a social gathering, but these meetings they had were becoming more and more common. The hushed and serious atmosphere had taken over their entire lives so discussing their findings over pizza wasn't really inappropriate.

The four girls, plus Toby and Caleb, sat around the table, where five pizza boxes lay. Emily seemed in the best mood, probably from her volunteering. It made Spencer consider it slightly. Both Hanna and Aria seem preoccupied, but so was Spencer.

"So, if you don't mind, I'll start. Toby here found a folder that we think belonged to Wilden. And we've deduced that he was the one that killed Garrett."

"Yesterday I was asking one of my coworkers about the topic of blackmail," Toby began, "He said he was pretty close to Garrett and that he distinctly remembered him being especially interested in it."

"Has anyone else seen the folder at the police station?" Hanna asked.

"No. It was hidden. I'm going to make sure there's nothing to compromise all of us and then turn it in."

"Sounds like a good plan," Aria chimed in.

Spencer looked satisfied as she took a bite of pizza. Toby smiled over at her.

"I've got some news too," Hanna began, looking around anxiously, "I've been talking to Mona—"

Emily scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Ignoring her, Hanna continued, "She told me Alison and Cece were the ones who played the game after Mona. She said to be careful with them."

"Oh, please. Are we going to trust the original A?" Emily snorted.

"I do. I'm not letting my feelings blind me," Hanna retorted, becoming angry.

"Guys… Look, maybe we should take what Mona says with a grain of salt but we can't dismiss it altogether either," Caleb declared, trying to compromise.

"You both have to admit that you are somewhat biased, but we are all to some extent. This is _our lives_ ," Spencer added.

Hanna and Emily just nodded but shot each other dirty looks. Caleb squeezed Hanna's shoulders in an effort to get her to stand down, but she was clearly not going to let it go, at least not in that moment.

"What we need is a plan and not this pointless bickering," Aria stepped up, "Everything always lead back to Radley. That's where Ali and Cece took over the game, right? Maybe we can get some information there."

"Sounds like we've got plans for tomorrow," Spencer agreed.

"Alright," Hanna said after receiving a pointed glance from Caleb.

Aria playfully shoved Emily but she wouldn't look up.

"Come on, Sporty Spice," she whispered to her, which made her crack a small smile despite her best efforts to maintain a straight face.

"Fine…" she finally admitted.

After they had finished the pizzas, they sat down around the TV to watch a movie. Hanna and Aria dozed off halfway through it, while Emily and Caleb were constantly trying to find clues to figure out the mystery. Toby and Spencer watched in silence, amused by their comments but not that invested in the movie. As Emily and Caleb began to insult the writers for the many plot holes their work seemed to have, Toby got a call from the police station.

"They asked me to come in for a moment," he explained, getting up, "I probably filled out a report wrong or something. They wouldn't call me in otherwise. It'll be ten minutes tops."

"I'll come with you then," Spencer said, putting her shoes back on.

* * *

As they entered the police station, Toby greeted his coworkers but they only returned blank hellos. Spencer frowned and looked over at Toby. He seemed just as confused.

"There you are," Agent Abrahams muttered, walking up to them, "If you don't mind, we should do this in private, Mr. Cavanaugh."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes, yes it is. You are being suspended for withholding information. Now, would you please come in so we can talk about this in private?" she said, motioning towards the interrogation room.

"Suspended for withholding information?" Toby repeated, stunned.

"It has come to our attention that you are in possession of a file folder that you removed from the police station and which could help our ongoing investigations. I would prefer to not do this in front of others. Would you please come in?"

Spencer grabbed Toby's hand and gave it a squeeze before heading back to the car. She knew when to withdraw.

"We're going to need your badge…" she could hear Abrahams tell Toby as they walked off together in the other direction.

Spencer's heart sank as her worst fear was coming true.


	20. Farewell, My Lovely

"Are you sure we won't see us here?" Emily whispered, looking down the street in worry.

They were sitting in Spencer's car not far from Noel's house. They had decided to split up, with Hanna and Aria visiting Radley. Emily wasn't sure if she should be more worried about her friend or them being in danger.

"We're fine," Spencer assured her, pulling out a pair of binoculars from her bag.

"Really?" Emily snickered, eyeing them with faint amusement.

"We have to be prepared. I've also brought some gloves, just in case, so we don't leave our fingerprints anywhere."

Emily smiled at her friend's preparedness but her thoughts quickly wandered back to Alison. Although she had quickly discredited Mona's warning, in her head she wasn't so sure. She wanted to believe Ali was another victim.

"You should really make up with Hanna," Spencer said, after a long period of waiting in silence, "She had good intentions."

"I know…" Emily mumbled, feeling even worse about the whole situation.

"Hey," Spencer said, reaching out to her, "Don't beat yourself up about it. We're all going through stuff."

Emily produced a half-smile and took up the binoculars again to avoid the topic any further.

"There he is!"

Spencer started the engine as Noel opened the door of his car. They tried to keep their distance as they followed his car to the outskirts of the town. He stopped outside a towering but dilapidated building far from his house. Emily and Spencer couldn't get close enough to see very well, but the binoculars aided them. Emily made a mental note not to laugh at Spencer's ideas again.

Noel grabbed a duffel bag from the backseat and waited by the wire fence that enclosed the building. The broken windows and garbage strewn everywhere gave it an eerie feel. A graffiti depicting an enormous pair of black eyes framed by round glasses took up a large part of the building.

"Look, someone's coming."

Emily saw three guys approaching Noel, who was casually leaning on the fence, duffel bag in hand. As he saw them nearing, he nodded his head in recognition. Spencer quickly reached out for her phone and began recording the scene.

One guy wearing a dark blue hoodie pulled out a wad of cash and, upon seeing it, Noel reached into his duffel and pulled out a plastic bag. Noel didn't hand it over until he had the bills safely in his possession. Before anyone else could notice, they continued walking and Noel headed back to his car.

"Was that… drugs?" Emily asked, eyes wide.

"It definitely looked like it. Before we do anything else, I'll email all of you the video and save it to the cloud… Always better to be prepared."

* * *

Hanna looked around at the grim waiting room as Aria was getting the secretary to issue volunteer passes for them both. She had claimed that they needed some community service hours to graduate and the woman behind the desk had been sympathetic. Hanna noticed that the magazines they had were wildly outdated or completely dull.

Aria clipped on the name tag that had just been printed and handed Hanna hers. The secretary rounded the desk and led them towards a closed door, which she opened by scanning the card hanging on a lanyard around her neck. From there they continued down a hallway, took a few turns and ended up in the recreation room.

"Some patients enjoy some conversation, while others prefer to be left alone. There is always someone in charge around in case you have any questions," she chirped, motioning towards a man in scrubs standing at the opposite end of the room. He was admiring one of the patient's artwork and didn't seem to even realize they were there.

"Have fun," she said, before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Hanna looked over at Aria with an indescribable expression on her face, which would have made Aria burst out in laughter if it wasn't so inappropriate.

"She's drawing over there. I'm going to go over and talk to her," Aria decided, taking the lead since she was the one who had gotten Bethany's sketchbook in exchange for junk food the last time.

"Hi, Rhonda," Aria said in the sweetest voice she could muster, taking a seat across from her.

She looked up and grunted in recognition but continued with her task. Aria looked over at Hanna, who was sitting playing checkers with a woman in a wheelchair.

"Do you remember Bethany?"

Rhonda looked up quickly and squinted her eyes at Aria. It felt like she could see right through her. Aria tried smiling a little to seem as inoffensive as possible.

"I remember you. Do you have soda?"

Aria knew it probably was best if she didn't give her any, but surely a can wouldn't kill her.

"I can get some later when we're alone…"

After hearing that, Rhonda put down her pencil. Under the table, Aria pressed record on her cellphone to be able to hear it back again with all the girls.

"Bethany didn't hurt lady. Mean letters…she was innocent. The roof, the roof… Bethany saw … She didn't like the rich woman…Very, very not nice letters…Charles and Bethany and Rhonda are friends."

Aria tried to make some sort of sense of what she was hearing but could barely figure it out.

"Charles?" she asked, immediately interested.

"Yes, friends. I have friends here… There's Lucia and Max and Nora… Do you like my drawing?"

Aria could feel that she was losing her and tried to get her back on topic.

"Could you explain what you meant about the rich woman?"

"Give my soda!" Rhonda shrieked all of a sudden, making Aria jump in her seat. Everyone else in the room looked their way.

The man in the scrubs swiftly walked to Rhonda's side, patting her arm gently.

"Maybe you should get some rest in your room now, Rhonda," he urged, accompanying her to the door.

Hanna looked at Aria with a concerned expression, wondering what she could have said to make her lash out. Aria responded by shrugging her shoulders. As she placed her phone back into her pocket, she saw she had received a text message from Ezra. Telling the woman who was now in charge she needed a short break, Aria headed to the gardens and responded to his messages.

 _We need to talk_

 _-I can't do this_

 _I'm sorry_

 _Please just let me make all this up to you_

 _-Please don't say you love me or apologize_

 _-Just let me go_

Lifting her thumb up from the send button, Aria breathed out. The sky had clouded over and the flock of birds that had been sitting peacefully in one of the trees of the courtyard began to fly around in a fury. She didn't regret anything she had done because those things made her the person she was, but from that moment on she knew it had to be different. And the first step was saying goodbye to her first love. She had dragged out the moment long enough. Cutting from the root was the best way for her to bloom again.


	21. Empathy

Spencer tried calling Toby again but, after many rings, she was sent to voicemail for the third time. She hadn't seen him since that day at the police station. She had waited outside and had seen his dark expression as he exited the interrogation room. He had barely looked at her as they walked to the car. Spencer could feel the knot in her stomach growing.

"They've sent a few officers to my house to retrieve the folder," he had said before starting the engine. She could hear the hurt in his voice.

When Spencer had tried to apologize, he had shrugged it off, saying it was his responsibility, his eyes not straying from the road.

Putting her phone down on her desk amidst the piles of papers, Spencer sighed. Looking at the open books reminded her she needed to be studying for her GED exams, but her personal life was once again completely engulfing everything. Spencer headed to the kitchen to clear her head, but not before closing the gaping book that lay in the center of her desk.

As she entered the kitchen, Spencer saw Melissa sitting at the counter, face in her hands. She could hear a low sob as she approached.

"Melissa?"

"Oh, hi Spencer," she replied, producing a smile and trying to discreetly wipe her cheeks, as if her sister couldn't notice her puffy red eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer probed, grabbing a can of soda from its place on the fridge shelf next to what looked like a cake box.

"Yeah. Of course!"

Melissa took a sip from the glass of wine in front of her as Spencer watched her. It was so obvious that she was trying to act cheerful because she was hiding something. She rarely saw her sister break down in that way, so Spencer knew it had to be something very personal.

"You know you can tell me if something's going on, right?"

Melissa put down her glass and looked down at the marble.

"He loved chocolate cake. I always made it for his birthday…but he's never going to have another birthday… I loved Ian even if he wasn't the best person."

Spencer took a seat beside her sister and placed an arm on her shoulders to comfort Melissa.

"I feel responsible for his death, Spencer… I can't tell the police the truth," she sniffled, looking around to make sure no one was overhearing.

"What happened?" Spencer tentatively whispered, feeling a shiver run down her spine.

"The baby wasn't his… It was Wren's. He knew and he threatened me to stay with him…"

At that moment, she began fully sobbing and placed a hand over her stomach almost as if by instinct. Spencer felt a few tears drop from her eyes as she realized her sister had been completely alone during those times.

"I couldn't do anything, he was so violent…Wren was so angry; he wanted to confront him but knew that Ian might take it out on me and the baby…And then he was dead."

Spencer hugged Melissa tightly as she cried. She could feel the tears wetting her left shoulder where her sister was leaning on her. The empty wine glass on the counter was just in her range of vision. The droning of the refrigerator filler her ears as she gently stroked Melissa's hair.

* * *

Aria rushed down from her bedroom as she heard the doorbell; no one else was in the house. She had been sifting through the contents of her memories chest, a small coffer with gold-colored accents where she kept mementos like ticket stubs and notes she passed in class with her friends. As she descended, she hoped it was Jake again. He would know what to say to make her feel better. Before opening the door, she ran a hand over her hair and smoothed the dress she was wearing.

However, when she opened the door, Jake wasn't there. No one was there. Just as she was about to close the door, she spotted a box on the doormat. Her dad had probably been buying books online by the ton again. As she leaned down to grab it, she saw her name written on the recipient line of the address.

Aria hoping it wasn't another one of A's games. Picking it up was difficult; the weight of the box was considerable. Although leaving it in the living room would have been the easiest, she knew the best thing was to take it to her room. Trying not to kill herself, she hoisted the box up the stairs and onto her bed. Before she opened it, she laid down for a few moments, her forehead covered in beads of sweat.

Sitting up with renewed energy, Aria noticed that it actually seemed like a normal postal box, not an A one. Although there was no sender address, the rest of it was too mundane to be a trap. Grabbing a pair of scissors from her desk, she cut through the thick brown tape that was sealing it shut. As she opened the cardboard flaps, she immediately saw a note on top of all the other papers.

 _Hope this helps. Goodbye. -E_

She recognized Ezra's writing but was still confused. Setting the note aside, she pulled out the huge stack of papers and took a quick glance at them, not finding anything of interest. All kind of documents lay before her: medical records, police reports, town hall registries… She knew she needed to call her friends over as soon as possible, but before she sent out the text, Aria contemplated the note from Ezra in her hands one more time.

He had manipulated her and been an all-around terrible person but, looking back, it's always easier to remember the happy parts. Aria had grown up at his side and a part of her would always care for him. He had understood what she meant and left her with a parting gift, to help them put an end to the nightmare. She folded the piece of paper neatly and whispered "thank you" before placing it in her mementos box and closing the lid.


	22. Reverse Blackmail

"Noel is coming over in a while," Spencer said triumphantly, holding out her phone to show her friends the text he had sent.

"Here?" Aria asked, sitting up from her spot on her bed.

"I'm not going to let him lure us out to some abandoned warehouse. We're doing this on our terms. After all, we finally have the upper hand."

"Spencer's right. We're going to be the ones threatening someone this time," Hanna continued, with a smirk on her face.

Spencer sat leaned back in the seat and picked up a paper from Aria's desk. Looking down at the sheet in her hand, a police file brought everything she was trying to forget to the front of her mind. She had still seen very little of Toby. She had felt the dejection with which he looked at her when he had opened his front door, only to turn her away. She hadn't mentioned the other thing in her mind: Wren. Spencer didn't know if it could be some sort of clue or if it would be invasive of her to mention it to her friends.

"So, how are things with Jake?" Hanna chirped from the window seat, reading papers nonchalantly.

Everyone looked over to her, surprised by the way she could switch to a light topic at such a tense moment.

"What? I want to know…"

"He's kind of busy, but things are going well."

Emily stood up from her spot beside Hanna but didn't take her eyes off from the yellowed sheet of paper in her hand.

"Guys… You need to hear this," she said, proceeding to read the contents out loud.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _They think I killed her. Why would they think that? I just like looking at the stars. Sometimes I can see constellations but I almost never remember their names. I saw a blonde woman but she didn't see me. Then, a woman all in black. She did it. Pushed her. Maybe I made a noise and the woman in black saw me. I tried to run but she was faster. She locked the door. Then the police came._

"Rhonda told us that Bethany was innocent. But who is this woman in black?" Aria enquired, saying what they all were thinking.

The sound of the doorbell made them jump and they scrambled to put all the papers away and under Aria's bed, just in case. Knowing that the diary entry was important, Emily snapped a picture of it before placing it in the box, just in case.

Aria led the way to the front door, with the rest of her friends in tow. Noel was standing on her front porch, arms crossed and with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Come in," Aria said, trying not to sound too polite.

He brusquely walked in past her, almost hitting her shoulder with his arm as he passed. Spencer unlocked her phone to have the incriminating picture handy.

"So, what exactly do you want?" he asked, pacing.

"We want the truth," Spencer said, taking charge, armed with her phone.

Noel put his hands up in confusion, looking to each of them in turn.

"Look, we don't have time to waste. Just tell us whatever you know or the police will find out about your little drug business," Hanna warned.

He raised an eyebrow, probably wondering if they were capable of such a thing. Hanna continued glaring at him.

"Can't we come to some agreement? Spencer, I've heard you—"

"We just want to know whatever you're hiding. Then we can keep out of each other's ways," Aria interrupted, trying to shift the topic away from her friend.

"Look, as long as you don't tell the police what I'm about to tell you, we have a deal. But if any of you open your mouth, you'll regret it."

He sat down on one of the armchairs and ran a hand through his hair.

"Maya was staying at my parents' cabin. I was being blackmailed, much like I am now…" he didn't contain himself from looking around at them in disdain, "I helped Lyndon tie her up but I didn't hurt her. I'm not a murderer."

Aria reached out for Emily's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Emily just looked down at her jeans.

"What about Ali?" Hanna insisted.

"All I know is the she and Cece were trying to find out who wanted her dead. That's really all I know. Now, I hope we don't have any more run-ins or confrontations?"

"Yeah, we'll keep our end of the deal," Spencer assured him, showing him how she was deleting the picture from her phone, knowing very well she had a copy on the cloud.

"You don't have to make a show of it. For all I know you might have it saved somewhere else," Noel said condescendingly, getting up, "As long as I'm not in jail, we're good."

With that, he let himself out. They all sat around Emily, who was now quietly crying.

"It'll be okay," Spencer said, the hollowness of her words resonating in her ears.


	23. One Frightened Night

Emily drank a sip from the glass of water Aria had gotten for her and set it down on the coffee table. After their encounter with Noel, they all needed a breather, but Spencer had to tell them about Wren. It felt like she was hiding something important from her friends.

"I know this isn't the best time, guys," she began, "but I found something out. Melissa told me that she lost Wren's baby, not Ian's. Ian was violent and Wren likely killed him."

"Woah, that's a lot of information to spring on us now," Hanna replied.

"I couldn't hold out any longer."

"You know, I think Caleb mentioned Wren when he hacked into the Radley security cameras. He said he wanted to keep an eye on us while we were in there and get some information while he was at it."

"So, what did he say?" Aria probed, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward.

"We'll have to call him over," Hanna concluded, pulling out her phone.

"Look," Caleb began speaking the moment he walked through the door while simultaneously pulling out his laptop, where he had already pulled out the correct video.

"Hello to you too," Hanna teased as he sat down beside her on the couch and hit play.

The showed the activity of the front lobby of the hospital fast forwarded. Many different people danced along the screen. Wren appeared sporadically, speaking to Melissa, to Eddie Lamb, to the receptionist.

"Wait, was that Cece?" Spencer blurted out, pointing at the screen quickly.

"I must have missed that," Caleb squinted, rewinding the video.

"It is her and he gave her something," Emily stated as they watched the clip again.

"Looks like a pass to enter," Spencer uttered, "Does this mean she was seeing Mona in there?"

"Wren doesn't look too happy about it…" Hanna piped in.

"We need to talk to Alison," Spencer stated, getting up almost violently, "She has contact with Cece, right?"

"We can't just go to her house and demand answers," Emily retorted, seeing Spencer all worked up.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do. Whoever wants to join me is welcome to."

As Spencer walked off to her car, Emily cast the rest of them a bewildered look.

"She shouldn't go alone," Hanna said, following Spencer and with Caleb behind her.

"Are you coming, Em?" Aria tentatively asked.

"I think I'll sit this one out."

Aria nodded and squeezed her hand sympathetically before jogging to catch up with the group.

* * *

Spencer's fist rapped on Alison's front door impatiently. They heard footsteps approaching and, moments later, Alison appeared. A smirk was plastered on her face but Spencer could tell she was nervous.

"Hi…" she began with that voice she had always used when she was pretending to be nice to people.

"Save the small talk. We want to know why Cece was meeting Mona at Radley and how you're connected to her," Aria blurted out, receiving an approving glance from Spencer.

"What?"

"Stop playing dumb," Hanna said, taking the lead next, "If you're behind all these twisted games…"

"Look, I just wanted to know who hit me that night. That's what Cece was helping me with. Maybe we should talk about this inside…"

With a huff, Spencer took the first step and crossed the threshold.

"Do you want something to drink?" Alison offered as they walked in.

"This isn't brunch with the gal pals," Hanna murmured, rolling her eyes.

"Cece and I had a few theories about who hit me. Ezra was my main suspect but Aria quickly helped in debunking that. Wilden was the next contender."

"And he was conveniently killed."

"I didn't do that, Spencer."

"So we can assume that Cece did?" she insisted.

"Things got messy. Shana was supposed to be helping us but she switched sides and set the Lodge on fire."

"Why would she do that?"

"Probably something to do with Jenna."

"So why are you telling us all this now?" Hanna asked, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

"Because none of it really matters anymore. You don't have any proof of anything to go to the police and, at this point, why not?"

"So Shana tried to kill us?" Aria clenched and unclenched her hands as she pronounced the words

"Yeah, will that help you sleep at night?" Alison replied sarcastically.

* * *

Aria returned to her house in a daze. She was having a hard time processing the events of that day. She climbed the stairs slowly and walked straight to her desk, opening up her laptop and pouring her feelings into the words on the screen.


	24. Big Brother

Emily pushed the VHS tape into the Hastings' old player again, trying to get it to work for the third time. She had rummaged for hours in her attic to find her favorite childhood movie and was not about to give up so easily. If only she had thought to take her own VCR.

"Why did you love this version again?" Aria called out from across the room, where she was laying on her sleeping bag in zebra print pajamas, with a bag of chips in hand.

"Lindsay Lohan. That is all you need to know," Hanna replied, kicking off her fuzzy pink slippers and taking a seat on Spencer's couch.

"Got it!"

Emily took a few steps back and switched the lights off before joining her friends. Spencer handed her a bowl of popcorn as she took her place.

"I thought Lindsay had a twin for a long time," Spencer laughed while grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"You're not the only one," Emily giggled.

Once the protagonists had successfully switched roles, a thought began to creep up on Spencer slowly. At first, she waved it away, thinking it was silly. How good of an idea could she have had while watching a cheesy family flick? It's like getting ideas from dreams, the rules of logic of the real world just don't apply. But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to verbalize it.

"Guys…"

"Are you bored already, Spence?" Hanna joked.

"What if…Jason is actually Charles?"

"Wait, what?" Aria squealed, sitting up sharply.

The rest of them wore the same expressions of disbelief.

"Well, why not?" Spencer shrugged.

"What did you just say?" Mr. Hastings emerged from the shadows, briefcase still in hand.

"Dad… It was just—"

Emily paused the movie, which only made the silence louder.

"Who told you that?"

"So it's true?"

"I'm not saying it is," Peter said, running a hand through his hair.

"Well then you won't mind if we take this information to the cops, right? Because this whole family drama has been affecting all of us for years," she said, hardening her tone.

"Spencer…"

Emily wandered off to the bathroom while Hanna and Aria whispered something about getting some fresh air before disappearing.

"Jason and Charles were twins, it's true. They were my… blood. And they were identical."

Spencer's jaw clenched as she listened to her father, the feelings of anger fresh again.

"And Charles was in Radley. He wasn't mentally stable. There was something dark and twisted about that boy. He died in a freak accident playing with Jason when they were eight."

"Are you so sure that the sick one was the one that passed away?"

"I believe so. We all do. Charles was wearing his Radley gown when he died. It was right there in the hospital gardens."

"But what if…?"

"Spencer, you can't bend the truth to fit your story. Sometimes things just are what they are. Now, I'm going to get some rest and you should get back to that movie with your friends."

He planted a quick kiss on her head before heading upstairs.

"Agent Abrahams here. Please get the judge to sign an arrest warrant for Jason Dilaurentis and begin a search operation as soon as possible."

She placed her hands on the sound board and breathed out, removing the big headphones from her head. "Do we finally have something?" one of her fellow FBI agents popped her head in the door.

"I think so. All the work to get that surveillance warrant is finally paying off."

"You're telling me. I was among the team that had to go actually place the mics in their houses. Good thing they're virtual undetectable nowadays."

"Definitely makes our lives easier. Let's see if we can solve this case by the end of the month…"


	25. Confession

Aria wiped the sleep from her eyes and climbed out of the sleeping bag. Her friends were still fast asleep, probably because they had stayed up till the end of the movie. She pulled her cellphone out to distract herself until they woke up. Aria lazily scrolled through her social media feeds, paying little attention until she saw a picture of Jason. It had been posted by The Rosewood Times. It was a mugshot.

She reached over and shook Hanna's arm wildly. Annoyed at being woken up so violently, Hanna muttered something that Aria couldn't make out and rolled over to try to fall back asleep.

"Hanna!"

"What's up?" Spencer asked, waking up with the commotion.

"Jason's at the police station. It says here that he turned himself in."

Now Hanna was wide awake.

"Does that mean it's over?" Emily whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

They looked at each other without saying a word. No one dared respond.

* * *

Abrahams straightened her blazer before entering the interrogation room. The harsh fluorescent light escaped as she opened the door. Plastering a smile on her face and holding the manila folder to her chest, she entered the room.

"Morning, Mr. DiLaurentis."

She set the folder down on the metal table, where Officer Maple was already sitting across from Jason. His back was to the two-way mirror. Abrahams took a seat beside Jason, who had a small smile on his face.

"Good morning to you too, Mrs. Abrahams."

"Please, call me Agent."

"We've typed up his confession overnight," Barry explained, motioning to the folder on the table.

"So what are you doing here?" Jason asked, staring straight into Abrahams eyes.

"I'm here to make sure we've got it all down correctly. So, Jason, do you consider yourself a good brother?"

"Of course."

"How is your relationship with Alison?"

"It's fine, thank you," he smiled, adding, "I really don't want to waste your time, Mrs. Abrahams. I was the one that kidnapped the girls and put them in the bunker."

"Alright, let's get right into it then. Were you working alone?"

"Yes. I just told you it was me."

"That doesn't seem logistically possible. There were six people in there."

"I work out," he bragged, flexing his left arm.

Abrahams sighed and pulled out a picture from the folder on the table. She slid it across the table so that it was right in front of Jason. Aria's big brown eyes stared up at him.

"We found this picture of Aria Montgomery at the bunker."

Jason smiled and reached a hand up to the photograph, almost as if to caress it.

"Jason, are you or were you ever romantically involved with Aria?"

He looked up at her, smiled and turned back to the photograph.

"If you don't tell me the truth I can't help you," Abrahams said softly, leaning forward in her seat.

"I know my rights… Wow, could these chairs be any more uncomfortable?" he finished, looking over at Barry with a grin.

"In this folder it says you were put through a lie detector and apparently did not lie," she pulled out the correct paper and began reading from it, "You were asked if you were working alone, to which you said yes and if you were involved in your sister's disappearance and/or your mother's death. You denied those last two claims."

"Correct. I'm not a liar."

"The thing is… I have been studying this all night and there are some minor inconsistencies, meaning that you were in fact lying. I believe this could help build a case against you."

She put the paper away and closed the folder before turning to Jason. He had placed Aria's picture facedown.

"Look, I didn't want to hurt Alison. It was an accident. Siblings annoy each other and fight; it's normal. Ali can be the worst person you have ever crossed paths with if she's in the mood. I only meant to scare her but I knocked her out. It was an accident."

"Thank you for the truth. We can figure out some sort of deal for you if you continue to cooperate."

"Did you accidentally harm your twin brother Charles too?"

"Oh, Charles isn't dead. He's alive. Right in this room with us, in fact. Just like Jason will always be with me."

Abrahams looked over to Barry, who was blinking quickly and trying to avoid direct eye contact with Jason.

"I think that will be all for now. Thank you," Abrahams said, getting up from the chair and gathering the folder.

"Could I keep that picture of Aria?"

"I'm afraid not. It's evidence."

Abrahams left the room and joined her team, who had been listening behind the two-way glass.

"He clearly knows how to lie," she began as soon as she saw them.

One of them offered her a styrofoam cup of coffee and she gladly took it.

"Are you sure he might not just have a split personality?"

"I'm positive. That means we can safely assume he was the one that murdered Jessica DiLaurentis."

"Things are moving fast in this case. The FBI sure is efficient!" an agent jokingly called out from a corner of the room, pointing to the back of his navy jacket, where the three yellow letters were.

"Would you mind setting up a psych evaluation? I think Mr. DiLaurentis will probably end up in a mental institution, not a cell."

* * *

After saying goodbye to her friends, Spencer headed up to her room to get some studying in, or at least try. When she sat down on her desk, she realized there was a book on it that she didn't remember pulling out from her bookshelf. Suspiciously, she took the book in her hands and looked it over. Nothing else seemed to be out of place.

A breeze blowing in through her open window ruffled her curtains and gave her a chill. Book in hand, she closed it. As she was about to put the book away, she noticed there was something there, in its place. It was only a sliver of paper, so small she almost missed it. She gently pulled it out.

 _Go to the Lost Woods. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do not tell anyone. Failure to follow the rules means someone loses a life._


	26. Shards

Emily awoke covered in a cold sweat and gasping for air. It took her a few moments to realize it had only been another nightmare. She slowly climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Morning, Em," Mrs. Fields chirped from her spot on the island where she was finishing her breakfast before heading to work.

"Hi, Mom."

"Pastor Ted just called about the drive this weekend. You might want to get back to him."

"Of course. Thanks."

Emily downed a glass of water and headed back to her room. Although her friends had recounted what Alison had told them, she couldn't get her mind off it. Not only because of what she had said but because she felt like she needed to talk to her.

Without overthinking it too much, Emily hopped in the showered and then headed to Alison's house. It was about time they all stopped acting like bratty kids and just talked about things out in the open. Alison knew she wouldn't turn her in or harm her; all she needed was simply the truth.

After ringing the doorbell a few times, she realized the house empty and headed back down the porch steps, opening up her phone to send Alison a text message. On her way down, an uneven step made her stumble, sending her phone flying into the adjacent bushes. Emily quickly clambered over and crouched down to fish her phone out, hoping that the plants had broken the fall and she wouldn't have to read A messages through a cracked screen.

While Emily desperately searched the plants, she heard Alison's voice speaking to someone as they exited the house.

"They don't know that you stole the game or that we were both playing. I played the innocence card and they completely bought it. So gullible."

Emily could hear Cece's laugh ringing out and scrambled to the side of the house on her hands and knees, where she wouldn't be seen.

"I really do admire whoever is behind this all. Truly a mastermind."

"Me too, Cece. But I do think we're a pretty great team too."

"Well, you're lost without me, as evidenced by the disaster you got yourself into when you tried to play by yourself," Cece laughed out loud again.

"Fair enough but at least I'm not rotting in jail!"

"Things are getting boring now, though. Maybe we should move to a new town and find a new set of dolls…"

Emily watched them get into Alison's car and drive away with a knot in her throat. After a good amount of time had passed and she had had time to recover a little from what she had heard, she rescued her phone from the bushes. One particularly thorny plant scratched her left arm pretty badly, which she noticed once she was safely back in her car. She couldn't stop the sudden outburst of tears that poured out of her eyes as she looked down at the cut. It stung but the truth about Alison was even more painful.

Immediately, she sent an SOS message to her friends and waited for them to arrive at her house. Aria and Hanna showed up in the space of half an hour but Spencer was nowhere to be found. They all tried calling her numerous times but it went straight to voicemail. Emily couldn't wait any longer and told Aria and Hanna what she had heard, vowing to not leave any details out when she retold it to Spencer.

"Guys, I'm starting to get worried," Aria confessed, "I'm going to call Toby."

"That's probably a good idea," Emily assured her.

After a short phone call, Aria told them that Toby hadn't heard from her in a while either and that he would join them.

"I'll ask Caleb to help us find Spencer too," Hanna chimed in, quickly texting him.

* * *

"We have reasonable suspicion of a criminal act once 48 hours pass since Spencer Hastings' disappearance and we can search her things without a warrant," an FBI agent said to Agent Abrahams as they listened to the conversation in Emily's house.

"Yes, I know but we can't wait that long if she really is kidnapped. We need to get consent from her parents and we will if they're worried," Abrahams pondered, rolling up her shirt sleeves.

"Good point. I'm sure her friends have talked to them."

"If they don't come to us, we can go to them on some excuse. I'll let you know when if it comes to that."

"Perfect. Now we wait," the other agent leaned back in her chair and put her headphones back on.


	27. Toys in the Attic

A knock on her office door made Abrahams look up from the paperwork she was filling out.

"Mrs. Hastings is here," her co-worker said, popping in only to tell her and closing the door again.

She stepped out of her office and found Spencer's mother sitting on one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room, visibly stressed.

"Mrs. Hastings? I'm Agent Abrahams," she said as she approached her, holding out her right hand.

Veronica shook her hand and followed her to her office.

"As you know, twenty-four hours haven't passed so we can't officially declare it a missing persons case."

"I do," Mrs. Hastings replied from the other side of the desk.

"Now, we can take some steps, like investigate your house for any possible clues. We would need your consent for that, of course."

"Yes, yes. Please just get Spencer back home safely."

"I'll send a team over as soon as I can. In the meantime, one of my fellow agents will ask you about the last time you saw her in case it helps us."

Veronica just nodded absently.

* * *

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Abrahams emptied the contents of yet another drawer, inspecting the elements inside it. All she could see were hair ties, old shopping receipts, an assortment of bookmarks and a few tubes of old lipstick. After checking that it didn't have a false bottom, she put it back, not bothering to inspect the knick-knacks any deeper. Getting up from the squatting position she had been in for nearly half an hour, she walked a few paces to get the blood flowing again.

Inspecting the titles on Spencer's bookshelf, she was surprised at her taste. She had been expecting teen romance novels and vampire stories, but instead found the works of admired writers and philosophers. And they were arranged in alphabetical order. Abrahams spotted something between the back cover of _Discipline and Punish_ and the front of _Don Quixote_ 's. It was so hard to see that she almost thought that, in her desperation to find something, her mind was playing tricks on her. But when she reached out and pulled out the latter, a slip of paper fell to the ground.

Holding it in her gloved hands, Abrahams hastily read the words and rushed out the door, half of the team at her tail. Getting into the black SUV, she drove at full speed with the sirens on, knowing Spencer was inevitably in danger. No one else would leave taunting directions like that except someone involved in the dollhouse.

As soon as she pulled up at the derelict building, double-checking that it was the correct location, Abrahams pulled out her bullet-proof vest from under the driver's seat and made sure her gun was tucked safely into her holster. Along with a big team of FBI agents and police officers, they quickly made their way to the front door.

She took in the old-fashioned dark green store front and the window display adorned with porcelain doll parts before holding her gun in position and a flashlight in the other. An agent gave the signal and the door was forcibly opened by the two at the front of the group. Abrahams stood right behind them and squinted to look inside the dark and musty room.

"Help!" a faint muffled voice called out from within the shop.

Alarmed, Abrahams took the lead and followed the voice. The endless shelves stacked high with boxes and plastic arms and legs provided endless hiding places, but she was conducted to a staircase leading to an underground floor, probably a basement. Slowly descending the creaky wooden stairs one by one, she breathed out and clenched her hand tightly around her gun.

The cries for help had stopped. All she could see in the basement was a dark female figure with her back to the stairs. The ominous woman wore a dark veil and was standing in front of a large table full of porcelain dolls. In her hands she held one with brown hair tightly and brushed its hair gently.

"Don't move! Put your hands in the air!"

The thin white hand paused and put down the doll and hairbrush. They were slowly moved upwards.

"Where's Spencer Hastings?"

Abrahams approached her cautiously, her finger on the trigger. A small giggle echoed in the basement. When she was close enough, Abrahams grabbed her wrists in order to secure the handcuffs on her wrists. Just as she pulled them out, the woman in black moved suddenly and pulled out a scalpel-like tool from her sleeve. Seeing the vest that Abrahams was wearing, she stabbed the implement into the place where her chest and right arm met. As she let out a cry of pain, the woman let out another giggle.

An avalanche of officers advanced towards her but she had already dropped the weapon and was just smiling down at Abrahams, who was on the floor, pressing at her wound. As soon as she was in handcuffs, the veil was ripped from her.

"Sorry about that. Unfortunately, I don't make the rules anymore. I haven't for a long time."

"Mona Vanderwaal," one of the police officers identified her.

"The one and only."

One of the agents picked up a tape recorder nudged between the dolls on the table. Upon pressing the play button, Spencer's voice began crying out for help again. Agent Abrahams tried her best to get onto her feet, despite the complaints from her coworkers.

"This was a distraction!" she thundered angrily, forgetting about her wound, which was leaving a dark mark on her shirt, "We need to find Spencer Hastings as soon as possible."


	28. Catharsis

Spencer slowly opened her eyes but everything was still blurry, the way a city looks through the glass of a car window on a rainy day. Her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. She sat up, feeling the rest of her body just as tense. Propped up by the wall behind her, Spencer looked around and remembered driving to the Lost Woods. As she had walked out of her car, someone had grabbed her from behind and put a piece of cloth to her nose and mouth.

The ugly carpet of the inn remained but all the furniture had been removed. From the doorway, a dark figure entered and walked towards Spencer, stopping to kneel before her. A fitted black dress outfitted the person and a black veil covered her face.

"Wh- who-" Spencer began, trying to articulate a simple question but failing.

"Spencer…"

Upon hearing the voice, a jolt ran down Spencer's spine. The woman lifted the veil and shifted from a kneeling position to elegantly sitting on the dingy carpet.

"I remember the day you were born. I wasn't like those siblings that are jealous and secretly want to pinch the new baby. No, I adored you and just wanted to take care of you. All I ever wanted was for us to be close, to get along," Melissa explained, with a nostalgic look in her eye.

"They'll be arriving soon, but before they do, you need to know why this all happened. Everything changed once you became a teenager. You wanted to take it all from me and I couldn't allow that. From the moment I got involved it was only about you. Your friends were just collateral damage to me."

Melissa shifted positions and stretched her legs out to the side, while Spencer couldn't stop her whole body from shaking. She couldn't do anything but listen to her sister.

"Hanna because she was Mona's target and she was the original A, after all. Emily ruined my best asset, that bitch. Maya was supposed to be a key pawn but I didn't even have to do the dirty work. Lyndon took care of that. As for Aria, where do I even begin? Both Charlie and Ezra are obsessed with her, which I will never understand, to be honest. Lucky for her though, those fools kept sabotaging each other to keep her safe."

Suddenly, a shadow passed over Melissa's face and she frowned, raising her voice.

"And let's not forget how they took you away from me. All you wanted to do was be with your friends instead of me. Nothing has changed!"

She breathed out and returned to her calm and composed demeanor in a quick moment.

"That's why it's ending today. What have I accomplished? Nothing. The police are on their way; I lead them here, of course. But don't worry, Spence, I've found a way to get what I want."

Spencer couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes as she stared intently at her sister, who had stood up and was looking out the window. The sound of sirens went from a dull echo to a deafening screech. Spencer closed her eyes, her head heavy. If the police had arrived, it meant she could allow herself to fall into the pain. She was so close to the finish line that she could almost taste the sweetness of freedom.

"Let's go in now. What are those kids doing here?" Abrahams groaned as she spotted Caleb, Toby Hanna, Emily and Aria in the parking lot of the Lost Woods.

"They must have tapped into the police radio," a member of Rosewood PD replied.

"Well, I wondered who did that," Abrahams grumbled, deciding to deal with that problem later.

Having seen Melissa from outside, the agents rushed in, fully armed and pinning her to the ground without a moment's hesitation.

"She's in here, bring in some medics!"

Spencer was mumbling incomprehensibly as the officers took Melissa away in handcuffs. Behind the police tape Agent Abrahams had ordered be put up, her friends watched and waited. Seeing Melissa handcuffed and smirking made Emily nervous and she had to look away, but the rest of them stared, dumbfounded. Caleb placed a protective arm around Hanna's shoulders as he clenched his fists.

When Melissa spotted them, she produced a chilling smile their way. It left no doubt in their minds that she was the brain behind everything. The cold, dead eyes could only belong to a psychopath. As thoughts of revenge, hate and even some pity crossed their minds, a loud noise brought them back to reality. Melissa had collapsed onto the gravel, a bloody bullet wound dead center on her forehead. The agents scrambled for cover, pulling Melissa's dead body along with them. From where they were hidden, Hanna looked around for a sniper in the trees but couldn't see anything.

As soon as the area was deemed safe, Spencer was wheeled out of the room in a gurney. The police allowed her friends to be at her side before she was taken to the hospital.

"Spence, we're here," Aria said, in as bright a tone as she could manage.

Spencer's eyes didn't open but what looked like a small smile formed on her lips and she moved her fingers slightly, prompting Hanna and Emily to take her hands in theirs. Toby reached a hand out to her hair and stroked it before placing a kiss on her forehead.

Slowly opening her eyes just a sliver, Spencer whispered almost inaudibly, "It's over."

"Yeah," Emily replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Alright, let's get her to the hospital," one of the medics said, standing at the head of the gurney to push it, "Two of you can come with us."

As they said a few parting words of encouragement, Spencer's entire body began shaking violently. The medics rushed over and held her arms and legs down as she frothed at the mouth. They quickly rushed her over to the ambulance and away from her friends.


	29. Epilogue

The truth is a fragile, unstable thing. There is only one real way things happened but each person processes it so differently from their point of view that it's almost unfair to call them liars for it. The truth isn't supposed to warp and change with time but it does. No one will remember the facts, just what is convenient for them and what helps them sleep at night.

A letter in my mailbox confirmed that who I once thought was the love of my life never loved me, not really. Our relationship started out as a lie and, despite his best efforts to be a better man, he kept falling back into the game. He wanted to uncover our phoniness to the world but a corner of his heart tugged him in the opposite directions. That letter, in scrawled writing, was the untampered truth, but what was my truth? He hadn't only been playing, there were moments he had rebelled to help me. What about what I felt? My feelings were like fresh snow on a winter day trampled into gray slush.

The real villain wasn't motivated by hate but by love. It wasn't lack of feeling but too much of it. Love for her sister and love for her mother were what drove her insane. Knowing about her father's infidelity, she found the way to have her locked away forever. When her plans didn't work out, she took matters into her own hands and made sure she could never threaten her family again.

As for the secret twin, all he had wanted to do was play with his dolls. His favorite was his own sister, who he quickly got tired of for her cruel ways and try to discard for a shiny new doll. When things didn't turn out as he had planned, he had to commit a heinous crime and murder his own mother in cold blood.

Spencer didn't make it. I think about her every day and run that day over and over in my mind, wondering if there was something I could have done. According to the autopsy, she was drugged while knocked out by the chloroform. Her parents had divorced soon after and went their separate ways, with Mrs. Hastings remarrying a few years later while Mr. Hastings is rumored to have become a shut-up alcoholic. My heart breaks for them but more for the fact that no one will ever enjoy her charm and wit again. We won't hear another one of her brilliant ideas or her book reviews, which we always hated. What I wouldn't give to have her tell me her opinion on a book, any book, as long as I could hear her.

As I sit writing this on a deserted beach in the middle of nowhere under the shade of lush palm trees and with the sun shining down on the crystalline water with someone that truly loves me, it feels like it was all a dream, or a nightmare. It's funny how easy it is to distance yourself from something when it's over. The feelings of desperation and stress aren't completely gone, even though it's been years. I'm prone to panic attacks and some days, I have a hard time getting out of bed, but there are good moments too. Having my first short story published was the first positive thing in my life in a long time. And seeing my friends leading normal lives fills my heart with hope. Hanna and Caleb bought the most beautiful white clapboard house in California just off an endless dune beach. Emily continues travelling throughout Asia volunteering in all kinds of organizations and building houses, teaching, collecting garbage and doing whatever she can to help others. I've only seen her new girlfriend in pictures, but they seem to have great chemistry. Toby lives in Alaska, where he owns a shelter for stray cats and dogs. He doesn't use social media so we know little about him, but Caleb assures us that he will be okay one day.

Sometimes the sound of my phone takes me back to another time when I feared each message. Some nights I feel like someone is watching me from every corner. The sniper was never found. Jake tells me to push the thoughts out of my mind to leave room for the pleasant ones. It could be a stalker watching or it could be someone from above, taking care of me.

I am a sailboat on a stormy sea, waiting for the next wave to pull me under and bring me back up again. Just when I think I've run out of air, I'm on the surface once more, gasping for air. When the clouds part and the sky clears, and I'm still afloat, the water sparkles with the reflection of the sun. The breeze is no longer threatening and caresses my face. I look up at the clear blue sky and smile because I survived. Things can only get better from here.

* * *

 _Thank you all so much for all your reviews and for following this story! I have to admit that I've rushed the writing of these last chapters to finish before the show but I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to prednewc on Reddit for making the core theory for this fanfiction and thank you again to all of you for reading._

 _-Brenda_


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